Butterfly
by SonicPencil
Summary: ..written like Season 5.. A brooding Doctor meets an equally brooding Sunny while both are investigating the remains of the Daleks. She becomes his new companion and slowly they heal each other's broken hearts through laughs and near death experiences.
1. The Dalek Revival

**Dalek Revival**

Remains of the genocidal, robotic aliens called Daleks littered the sunny rooftops of the best city in existence, Boston. The phenomenon was worldwide, but local scientists were heading the experiments on the Dalek pieces. I tried to follow the advances in the news, but the scientific terms baffled me and made me feel stupid. It was interesting to hear if they found something they could explain, but it sounded like the scientists were hiding too much. They said they still didn't know what controlled the Daleks or what was inside it besides wires and other technical crap. But I'd seen the inside. In fact I was going to photograph it. I'd make millions.

I was a lame, amateur photographer living with her scatterbrained mom and pot-head skater brother. I was nothing special. I was nothing important. Or so I was beginning to think as of late. Sure, I had graduated high school, went through a year of community college, but I dropped out to pursue my dream. I was working on a photography portfolio to get into art school. It sounded shiny and perfect until I looked at my slow income, rent, and other expenses to see that there was absolutely no way I was going to make it into a good school. It was a humbling and heartbreaking realization to see that I was stuck. I was stuck living in a two bedroom apartment in Little Italy in North End Boston, working at an Italian Restaurant off the tourist route four nights a week, taking pictures of stupid lonely pipes and wilting flowers, and waiting for my rocket to come.

My future began to look up when I was following a whim and climbed the fire escape of a nearby apartment building. On the roof was the remains of a Dalek; the closest I'd been to one. Mom wouldn't let me get within ten feet of the one that was just outside our building. But now I was touching one, I was doing my own pathetic research on an alien. I poked and prodded the metal until I saw something not metallic within the heap. I pulled the metal pieces off in a frantic haste thinking of my neighbor's missing cat. What I discovered was _so not_ a cat. I stared, horrified at what looked like a squid to me.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed out loud. I stepped back with one hand over my open mouth and the other catching stray strands of my short, dirty blonde hair as it whipped my face and caught in my pale eyelashes.

I stared at the- the- _squid blob_ for minutes before I darted back past the randomly placed retro, blue police box and down the old, iron fire escape. I sprinted home, ignoring the lost tourists that I would normally help, not stopping to catch my breath until I reached the bedroom I shared with Mom. I grabbed my camera bag and sprinted out of the apartment back to the strange dead thing. I didn't even look at anything besides the ground and stairs below me as I returned.

I snapped away at the squishy looking blob. Changing setting after setting on my camera and using up a whole role, trying to get the million dollar picture. As far as I knew, no one had seen this part of a Dalek. Surely I'd have heard of it on the news. People would want to know about it and see it, too.

"This is so cool!" I said out loud as I snapped the last picture.

"Yeah, well, until it moves the Earth and twenty-six other planets across the universe to use it as its personal everything-destroyer," a man's voice said with a British accent.

I spun around quickly, almost tripping over my own feet. "Hey, I don't know how they do things in England, but sneaking up on people is not nice here in America." Okay, so it was harsh, but he startled me.

"I'm not from England," he said with a smirk that implied that that was a weighted statement. "I'm from Gallifrey."

"Where's that? Ireland?" I asked as I put away my camera.

"Sure," he said as if he was just letting me think that so that he could keep his mystique or something.

"Right, so why are you stalking me?" I said standing in front of him with my arms crossed and my blue-green eyes narrowed in what I hoped was angered suspicion.

He didn't look like any of the creepy guys I'd had trouble with in the past. He was in a navy blue suit, not a tattered winter coat in summer or a maroon, velvet jumpsuit (don't ask), and he appeared well-groomed. He didn't seem to be drunk or on some kind of drugs, so I relaxed my stance a little.

"I'm not stalking you. I was just up here examining the Dalek remains," he said as he went over to the heap of metal and squid blob. He crouched over it and took something from his pocket and held it over the metal and blob. It buzzed and lit up. My brother used to have a toy that resembled it and I wondered if this man was just fooling me and was, in fact, going to rape me.

"What's your name?" I asked, as I memorized his face so I could describe it to the police later.

"The Doctor," he said simply, as he stared sadly at the dead squid blob.

"The Doctor of what? And don't you dare say Gynecology, because I'm not falling for that," I said, glancing back at the fire escape to make sure he didn't have buddies blocking it off.

"What?" he looked at me as if I was insane. "No, no, that's my name. The Doctor."

"Riiight. And I'm the Nurse." I rolled my eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Nurse. But I have to leave, I have something I must do," he said with a nice smile as he stood up.

"Back in Gallifrey?" I asked. Since when did _tourists _have business in Boston?

His face went empty and his hand clenched around the light up toy. "No," he said in a quiet voice. Then after a moment he snapped out of his reverie and looked at me with friendly eyes. "What's your real name?"

"Sunny. Actually it's Mary Alice, but no one calls me that," I said with a blush as I told a stranger my what-was-my-mother-_on_ name.

"'Sunny,' I like it. Very sixties," he said, walking towards the blue police box. I'd figured the box to be part of someone's retro decoration collection or storage or something. But he was approaching it like it was his home's front door or his car. "Would you like to help me?"

"With what?" I asked, not being able to help the excitement over a mystery task from running through my blood.

"Finding where the rest of the Dalek remains are and getting them out of scientists' reach," he said, stopping before the door of the police box and turning to me.

"Why?" I asked, confused. Why wouldn't he want to advance in science and discover more about aliens? Maybe he was working for England- Ireland, whatever, and trying to sabotage our advances?

"Because they're trying to bring them back to life," he explained briefly. He studied my face for a reaction.

"But- but they would try to kill us all again!" I exclaimed in outrage.

"Exactly!" he said, excited that I was on his level of oh-my-god.

"How do we stop them?" I asked.

He sucked in air through his teeth and looked as if he was thinking. He let out his breath "Well, I planned on going in and asking nicely."

"I don't think saying 'please' and 'thank you' works when madmen are making scientific discoveries," I scoffed.

"You're probably right. But I always try that first and then work my way up to yelling," he said lightheartedly.

"Where are they doing it?" I asked, running through the subway routes in my head.

"A warehouse. I'll drive," he said and before I could open my mouth he snapped his fingers and the doors to the blue police box opened.

"How did- wha- you just- huh?" I asked as I followed him to the box. My instincts to run away from a possible rapist were fading. He would have acted by now if he meant harm, right? Besides, he didn't give me the creeps at all.

My speechlessness only increased as I took in the view of a large room in the small box. I took a step in and held out my hands, waiting to run into a green screen and a projector or a mirror. But the Doctor was already changing gears on a big circular control panel and the sound of a machine whirring to life was overwhelming. I stepped in and out of the box in awe at the impossibility of it. He watched with amusement as I stuttered and tripped in my wonder.

"Well, shut the door, we have to get going!" he exclaimed as a grinding sound surrounded us. I shut the door quickly and continued to stare at the inside of the box.

"What- how?" I couldn't form a sentence to ask about how this was possible.

"This is the TARDIS, a time machine. We're not traveling in time; we're just using it as a really fast car of sorts," he explained.

"This is insanely cool," I said in a whisper.

"I normally get impossible, but I'll settle for 'insanely cool,'" he laughed.

A few moments later we came to a somewhat rocky stop and he ran to the door. I followed on his heels and found myself in what used to be a space for a payphone in a long corridor but was empty until the TARDIS landed. We looked both ways down the hall and saw a shadow of movement to the right. The hallway walls were white and the floor a light blue marble. It was completely empty save us and three doors. One, we discovered, was a simple broom closet, and the next was to a lab room.

The Doctor put his ear to the second door and listened. I did the same; all I could hear was a strange beeping noise and someone tapping a pen. It didn't sound dangerous, but I couldn't tell by just listening if they had guns. When he realized this, he turned to me with a look of regret and self-hate. "I shouldn't have brought you here," he whispered.

"Why? I agreed to come. We have to stop them," I whispered back.

"You could get hurt," he whispered and then looked away. "Everyone always gets hurt."

"Then that's my problem. Come on," I insisted and nodded towards the door.

He hesitated, shaking his head. He wasn't going to let me help and that made me mad. So I pushed his thin frame out of the way and yanked open the door he unlocked with his light-up toy moments before. He tried to stop me but I slipped my short, petite frame out of his grasp and into the room. He followed me quickly and stood next to me inside the room.

An older man in a white lab coat stood up and glared at us. I took a quick look around and saw at least four other Dalek squid blobs on lab tables with various tubes stuck in them. Machines all around were beeping and flashing the readings of the Daleks. I looked back at the man who was reaching for something on his desk.

"Excuse me, sir, but before you kill us or call for help, can we please talk to you?" I asked in my sweet, polite voice I saved for really old people.

"About what?" he asked suspiciously.

"About what you're doing," I replied simply.

"What about it?" He crossed his arms over his chest challengingly.

"I understand that you want to be the first to figure out the interworkings of a Dalek and that multitudes of honor would come from it, but it's wrong," I said in the same polite voice.

"Let me guess, P.E.T.A?" He laughed.

"No, the Doctor and Sunny," I said defensively.

"Then what do you want? I have work to do," he said and picked up his clipboard.

"These Daleks were created to kill, to destroy. It was their purpose in life. You can't think that bringing them back to life wont cause trouble and kill more people," the Doctor reasoned.

"They are under controlled circumstances and in a safe environment. The world will be safe while the Daleks are here being retrained," the man explained.

"Retrained?" I asked. "Ever heard the expression 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks?'"

"We're going to train them to cooperate and coordinate with our life and to help us," the man said.

"That's not going to work! It hasn't worked any other time that's been applied, even with intelligent humans!" I scoffed. The Doctor smiled.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave," the man said in a false polite tone.

"And I'm going to have to ask you to stop your experiments," the Doctor said.

"I can't do that," the man said gravely and quickly reached for whatever was on his desk behind his pen holder and photo frame. His hand came back with a gun.

I barely had time to gasp before I was flying through the air and landing behind a large file cabinet and another desk. The Doctor mumbled what sounded like "I am not going to lose another" before jumping up from behind the safety of the desk. No gunshot sounded but I heard the man's ragged, nervous breathing. I tugged on the bottom of the Doctor's pant leg, trying to get him to get behind the desk. My heart raced and tears of fear stung my eyes.

"Put down the gun," the Doctor said calmly.

"Get out of my lab," the man said in a stern voice.

"We will as soon as you put down the gun and stop your work on the Daleks," the Doctor said.

"Why should I?" the man asked.

"Because you have no idea how many lives and planets have been destroyed by them. _Billions_ of lives have been lost. Not just on Earth, but countless other planets, as well. So if you value life at all, you will stop," the Doctor reasoned calmly. Obvious experience made his voice valid and serious.

I noticed a space behind both desks that could be used as a walkway that led behind the man in the lab coat. The two continued to talk as I, quietly as possible, crawled behind the man. I couldn't bear to hurt the man, so I stood up slowly behind him. His own breathing was loud enough to cover the sound of the slide of my jeans against the linoleum. I held my hands out hesitantly and then lunged at the man, knocking the gun out of his hands. It slid across the floor and the Doctor hurried to grab it. He took the bullets out quickly and then tossed it all to the side. I wrestled with the man on the floor for control. He kept trying to hurt me but he was too old and slow to hit me. The Doctor swiftly pulled me off of the man and then we forced him into a chair.

"You need to stop the work on the Daleks!" the Doctor yelled, visibly angry now. "It's not safe for _anyone_!"

Huffing and puffing, the man held up a hand. "Fine, fine, I'll stop. I'm getting too old for this."

I smiled. We had won!

"That's it? No reinforcements? No high-tech weapons?" the Doctor asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Just me and that gun," the man said, still out of breath. "Less people to share the reward with."

Guiltily, I thought of my camera and the roll of film in the TARDIS.

"Does anyone else know about the true form of the Daleks?" the Doctor asked.

"Not of my knowledge, but that does not go to say that they did not do the same thing as me," the man said, truthfully.

The Doctor and I stayed with the man, whose name was Bruce, until he disposed of the Daleks and dismantled the complex machinery. I believed that he honestly and truly understood the depth of what he would have been doing when we left and wouldn't continue his work on the Daleks.

Back in the TARDIS, I handed the Doctor my roll of film. "I was going to use the money from the pictures to get into art school. But I think I'm going to study Astronomy, instead." I smiled.

He pocketed the roll of film and grinned at me. "You did great back there. I didn't expect you to be one to act."

"I'm just full of surprises," I giggled.

He turned serious. "You could have easily hit him unconscious but you chose to knock the gun from his hand. Why didn't you hurt him?"

"I could never hurt someone intentionally, I guess," I paused. "Damn! And I spent hundreds on karate lessons!"

"Well, if you were ever desperate to escape you could use it," he suggested.

"Oh, and being held at gun point isn't desperate?" I laughed.

"You weren't the one at gun point, I was!"

"Yeah, and what a great job you did with your pleases and thank yous," I teased.

"We're alive, aren't we?" he chuckled and started up the TARDIS

"Thanks to me!" I exclaimed.

We landed back on the roof of the apartment building where we met. I stepped out of the TARDIS and turned back to the Doctor. He was leaning on the door frame looking thoughtful. I was thinking, myself. What if I went with him and traveled in time? I could learn so much more that way than I would in school.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Could I go with you?" I asked quietly.

"Don't you have art school to go to?" he asked.

"No. I dreamed of art school at one point. But now I know it's impossible," I replied.

"Ah, nothing's impossible," he said, with a spark of an inside joke in his eyes.

"Well, for people without time machines there are a lot of impossible things," I countered.

"Sunny, everyone who comes with me gets hurt in some way. I don't want that to happen to you or anyone else. It's not fair to you. It would be selfish of me to put you in such danger. More than I did today," he said, gripping my shoulders. His eyes were intense, reflecting a battle within him.

"No, it would be selfish of you to hog the whole TARDIS to yourself and not share the experience of travelling in time," I insisted.

A small smirk tugged at his lips, but his eyes remained the same.

"Please?" I said in a small voice with wide, hopeful eyes.

"I'm sorry, no."

"Please, please, please?" I bounced on my toes and clasped my hands in front of me.

He paused to think about it for a few moments before sighing and turning back towards the TARDIS. "Fine, let's go."

I jumped up and down twice before practically skipping into the TARDIS after him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed in excitement.

"Okay, so where to first?"


	2. The Butterfly Avalanche

**Chapter 2: The Butterfly Avalanche**

"I'm thinking of someplace cold. I hate this heat," I said, pulling the hair off the back of my neck.

"How about . . . Aspen, Colorado. Three years ago. The slopes were so much better before the avalanche," he said in a loud, gleeful voice as he ran around the TARDIS control panel, switching things on and hitting controls with a hammer.

My heart sank at the memory of the family I'd lost three years ago in the avalanche. Aunt Marie, my mom's sister and best friend, Uncle Trace, and their two young girls, Emily and Katie. It was a tragic and unexpected loss, but now I could see them one last time. My heart rose at the thought. I opened my mouth to tell the Doctor, but we landed with a _thud_.

I couldn't help but be lifted by his happiness as he grabbed his coat and tossed it to me. I quickly threw on the long, tan coat and we both laughed. The coat was a good four inches too long and dragged on the floor. I pushed up the sleeves to expose my hands and buttoned the coat. I had been wearing a denim miniskirt with pink and black leopard print leggings underneath, a yellow ribbed tank top, a cropped denim jacket, and silver sandals- I was sure to freeze!

"We'll stop for appropriate clothes first," he said and opened the TARDIS door. He hopped out and took a deep breath. "Ah, smell that crisp, cold air!"

I would have appreciated the deep breath I took if it wasn't a gasp at the temperature of the snow on my exposed toes. We had landed just outside the back of a lodge, thank goodness, and we entered through the back door. Inside it was delightfully warm and my dear toes regained feeling slowly. There was an ATM machine near the gift shop and the Doctor buzzed it with his light up toy. The machine spit out money and the Doctor handed some bills to me. "Get some decent clothes on. We have skiing to do."

"How'd you do that?" I asked, staring at the toy as he pocketed it.

"It's a sonic screwdriver. It does a lot," he said with a shrug.

"So, a scientific magic wand?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of," he agreed.

I bought a pink ski coat and snow pants, gloves, a hat, snow boots, and two pairs of socks, and met the Doctor in the café for some hot cocoa. We sipped at the chocolaty goodness and watched the pink cheeked and windblown people come in and out of the doors, bringing a gust of frigid air with them.

"Do you always travel alone?" I asked, conversationally.

"No, I've had my fair share of companions," he said, glaring at his mug.

"May I ask what happened?" I pressed even though I sensed this was a tough subject.

"Some chose to leave, others had to leave, and a few I left. It's not safe for you to stay with me, Sunny. Someone always gets hurt," he said seriously.

"It's always you who gets hurt, isn't it," I said rather than asked.

He didn't say anything. I don't think he was going to at all, but his chance was cut short by someone bursting into the lodge, yelling about a Yeti. I laughed at the man's claim. In fact, everyone was laughing but the Doctor. His eyes were narrowed in concentration and an eyebrow was raised as he watched the yelling man.

"A Yeti, yeah right," I laughed and took a sip of my cocoa.

"No, he may be telling the truth," the Doctor said.

I slowly lowered my mug to the table and stared at the Doctor. "You're kidding."

"I wish I was," he said before he stood up and approached the man. I rolled my eyes and followed. "Could you explain to me what happened?" the Doctor asked the man.

"It was big! And brown and hairy! Its hands and face were black like coal! It reached out and grabbed me when I approached it. I was hiking with two friends and we saw some movement ahead. We thought that someone was hurt, but it wasn't a person. Oh, god!" He was breathless with panic.

"Where are your friends now?" the Doctor asked seriously.

"Dead. It killed them!" he cried.

"Where did you see the Yeti?" the Doctor asked.

As he got directions from the hysteric hiker, I quickly grabbed a coat, gloves, snow pants, a hat, and snow shoes for the Doctor. He hadn't brought anything else to wear out of the TARDIS and he sure as hell wouldn't survive on an icy mountain in his suit and brown coat. When I returned to the Doctor he had just left the hiker.

"Are we going hiking?" I asked as I handed him his new gear.

"In the TARDIS," he said.

We rushed back to the TARDIS and he flew us up to the top of a mountain. When we stopped, he put on the coat and gear I'd bought. While he was tying the boots, I asked: "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"The Yeti are robots created by something called the Great intelligence, the Yog-Sothoth. It has no physical existence and it puts part of itself in control spheres and controls the Yeti. It uses bodies, 

normally dead, to have a physical form. It used the Yeti in the past to create an army. I thought they were gone, but apparently not," he explained quickly.

"But why does it need physical form?" I asked.

"For world domination, of course, what else?" he responded wryly.

"How do we stop it?" I asked, completely into the problem the more I knew about it.

"The Yeti are controlled by the control spheres in their chest. They work like brains, though they're only machines. If we get the spheres out and destroy them, the Yeti will become inanimate and the Yog-Sothoth will have no physical form," He said and stood up, ready to go.

"Okay, so we just have to figure out a way to get the spheres out and destroy them. Uhm, I don't think please and thank you will work this time," I said and followed him to the door.

"Most likely not. We'll figure it out," he said and opened the door.

There was no wind because it was blocked by a taller mountain on both sides of our location. But it was extremely cold and the snow went up to my knees. I hoped I didn't have to run. I followed the Doctor to a corner where another mountain met this one. We both peeked around the boulder to see three Yeti near a large machine. The Yeti looked exactly as myths said they looked. They had brown matted fur and walked on two legs. The only parts not covered in fur were their face and hands. The skin there was black and deformed. Now I knew why the people who saw the Yeti feared them; they were atrocious. The machine they were guarding seemed to be holding snow, ice, and boulders up on a huge metal platform just over the edge of the mountain.

"They're going to create the avalanche over Aspen," the Doctor whispered to me.

I began to panic. This was how my family and hundreds of others in greater Aspen died. The cause was right in front of me. My instinct was to stop them and stop the avalanche, but my brain told me that the avalanche was history. And changing history could change the world as we know it. I couldn't do it.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"Stop the Yeti from reaching their goal with the avalanche," he said.

"Let's go," I said and began to step out from behind the boulder.

"You have to stop doing this," he said irritably as he grabbed my gloved hand in his.

"One of us had to start moving," I said and shook my head.

"I was getting there," he insisted.

The Yeti heard us squabbling and turned to look. They let out loud, strange cries. "Are they calling for help?!" I asked, not being able to imagine any more Yeti attacking us.

"No, it's a war cry," he said. "Get back to the TARDIS!"

"No! Are you crazy?!" I exclaimed. "I'm not leaving you to have all the fun!" I said even though I was thinking that I wasn't going to leave him here to die by the hands (or teeth) of the same Yeti that killed my family.

He pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and switched the setting. The sound that came out of it was a terrible screeching sound. The charging Yeti grabbed their heads and dropped to the ground. They didn't move; I thought they were dead.

"They're asleep. Now we take the spheres out," he said striding over to the closest one.

He knew exactly where the chest cavity was and opened it with ease. There was no blood or guts. The Yeti were, indeed, robots. I ran to another and did the same while he got the last one. The spheres seemed to be made of glass. They were a reflective silver color and were about the size of a softball. He then ran and placed snow and rocks over the chests of the unanimated robots. The spheres suddenly shot from our hands and moved over the Yeti, not able to get back in. When the three went to each Yeti, they combusted and shattered like glass.

"What was that?!" I asked, brushing glass from my pink coat.

"The spheres self-destruct when they are no longer needed. Most likely to keep the intelligence to the Great Intelligence," he said. "I think I'll keep you," he turned to me with an impish smile, "the bad guys are easier to beat."

"As long as-" I started but was cut off by a loud beeping noise, like an alarm.

"The avalanche! It's on a timer!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Get back to the TARDIS!"

We ran as fast as we could back to the box. The door shut behind us just as a loud rumbling shook the ground. The Doctor immediately started up the TARDIS and we left the mountain. I thought we were going somewhere else, but we landed very soon after we took off. The look on the Doctor's face was solemn as he opened the door. A gust of cold air ridden by the sound of an avalanche washed over me.

We stepped out of the TARDIS and onto a smaller mountain across the way from the avalanche. I choked on my breath as I took in the view. Snow and rocks were tumbling down onto the city, picking up more as they went, causing more destruction. The town's alarm system was faintly heard over the roar of destruction. I watched as house after house was enveloped in snow and rocks. I fought back a sob as I watched this, not knowing when my family died or how much time of panic they had before it happened. The image of my aunt and uncle trying to protect their girls flooded my mind's eye and I couldn't hold it back anymore.

I dropped to my knees and sobbed into my gloved hands. The Doctor put his hand on my shoulder and knelt next to me. "There was nothing we could have done. We saved the world from more death and destruction," he said just loud enough for me to hear.

I could only nod. I knew there was nothing we could have done. Even if we were to change history, we couldn't have stopped the machine from starting in the seconds we had. These people were meant to die for the sake of the rest of the world. Including my family.

It was over surprisingly quick, or at least it seemed like a short time. I knew it was enough time to wipe out most of Aspen, and to leave only about three hundred survivors before help was able to come. The silence that followed was eerie. It wasn't complete silence, though; the thin sound of sirens and people yelling was faint from our height above the city.

"Are you alright?" he asked me quietly.

"Yes," I said hoarsely.

"Do you want to go home?" he continued.

"No," I replied. "It's just that- never mind." I didn't want to let him know I had family down there. I didn't want him to feel as bad as I did.

"Go ahead, you can say it," he pressed gently.

"It's just that my instinct was to save everyone down there. To save all of those lives! But my common sense told me that I can't change history. To us, this already happened, this is history. A small piece of history to the rest of the world, but to my fami- _their_ families it's history that affects them every day of their lives," I explained in my failing voice.

"You just _thought_ of that on your own?" he asked as if he didn't believe me.

"Yeah. Well, I did do a report on 'The Sound of Thunder' in junior high," I confessed.

"This is your butterfly," he said, understanding.

I nodded.

"Who was down there?" he asked. I looked at him, confused. "Who do you know died down there?"

I sighed. "My aunt, uncle, and two little cousins."

"I'm so sorry," he said. I nodded once more and began to cry again. "I'm incredibly impressed that you knew the right thing. I normally have to force that down people's throats," he said after a few moments.

He allowed me to cry onto his new blue ski coat. "I was going to ask if we could visit them, but I didn't get the chance," I said when I'd stopped crying.

He didn't say anything. He stood up and offered his hand to help me up. Back in the TARDIS we shed our ski coats and gear before we left Aspen. I realized something I hadn't known the answer to and it was nagging my brain. "Doctor, why do you think the Great Intelligence wanted the avalanche?"

"More bodies. More physical form," he replied as he set coordinates on the controls.

"It was planning to use all of those bodies as an army for world domination?" I asked, appalled.

"Yes, it was," he said, looking at my disgusted face.

"Then I'm glad we stopped it," I said, shaking off my repulsion.

"Me, too," he grinned. "I'm sure your family would be proud."

"Oh, they better be." I forced a smile. "So, where to next?"


	3. We Went to the Year 3000

A little bit of Jonas Brothers love/ references. Just the song with this title. So i can't claim it. XD

BTW, i made up the aliens in this story. Well, i took some common myth and added my own parts.

Oh, and this hasn't been proofread yet. But i just wrote 14 pages of 11 pt font in one sitting. i deserve a little break, no?

**We Went to the Year 3000**

"Aren't you exhausted?" the Doctor asked me.

I stopped to evaluate. "Oh, yeah, I'm completely beat," I admitted after realizing that I'd been ignoring basic needs since we'd left Boston almost twelve hours before.

"I'll show you to your room," he said and began to walk towards what appeared to be just part of the wall. Instead of running headfirst into it, it opened as he approached it. With a mechanical hiss, part of the wall slid open to reveal a short hallway.

"How big _is_ this ship?" I asked, amazed.

"Pretty big," he replied.

I followed him to the first room on the right of the neutral colored hall. There was no door to it; the room was a small, messy kitchen. What looked like a 1950's stove, a refrigerator not of human invention, a grandma style flowered tea pot, and a general white sink decorated the kitchen. In one corner there was a modern black table and two chairs. Dishes and stale bread littered the table and wilting flowers sat in a crystal vase on a counter. The kitchen walls were a robins' egg blue and the floors were a strange looking wood. Posters and maps adorned the walls. Nothing matched, but it made the atmosphere all the homier.

"If you get hungry, help yourself. There's leftover croissants from a recent trip to France, if you're interested," he offered.

"Oh, I'd so love to go to France!" I gushed.

"Then that's where we'll go next. Now, this room across the hall is the bathroom," he continued and turned out of the kitchen.

I opened the door and peered in. The room was messier than the kitchen, there were towels strewn about the floor, and a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, hand soap, a hand towel, and hair gel on the cluttered counter. The walls were a moss green and the floors were white linoleum. There was a basic shower and bathtub combination, but the shower head and toilet must have been alien or from the future. The shower head was large, silver, and looked like a space ship. The toilet was a shiny black with blinking blue and red lights, and there didn't appear to be a flusher. I'd have to figure that out later.

After the bathroom the Doctor pointed to the last room on the left, next to the bathroom. "That's my room. You don't want to go in there. I don't think I've cleaned in ages." That I didn't doubt. "And that's your room," he said and pointed to the room across from his and next to the kitchen.

"This is a very nice space ship you got here." I smiled. "Thank you for letting me stay."

He only smiled distantly in response before bidding me goodnight. I opened the door to my room and stepped in. It was painted pale lavender and had fluffy white carpet. The carpet was so soft that I had to take off my shoes and wiggle my toes on it. The bed was full sized and had a darker purple comforter and sheets; causing me to believe that all of the Doctor's companions had been female. There was a small wooden desk under a window that showed the stars around us. I didn't remember seeing a window on the blue police box, but I was sure that I was really seeing outside of the TARDIS. Exhaustion swept over me tenth fold and I staggered over to the bed and collapsed into it.

I didn't even remember closing my eyes when suddenly there was a loud, erratic knock at the door. When I did open my eyes I felt refreshed even though it appeared that the sun was setting out the window. Wait . . . the sun? I jumped out of bed and opened the door.

The Doctor bounded in with a grin on his face. "Good morning, Sunny! It's a lovely evening, don't you think?"

"Evening? How long did I sleep?" I gasped.

"About nine hours, I'd guess," he said and then glanced out the window. "It's Paris, France December 31th, 2999, six pm."

"_What_?" I exclaimed, sitting back down onto the bed.

"It's the best firework show ever! They set 'em off behind the Eiffel Tower and it makes a _beautiful_ display of lights and colors!" He said giddily.

"2999, New Years Eve. Oh my gosh, we went to the year 3000!" I gasped.

"Not yet," he corrected. "What are you doing still sitting there? Come on, get up! There are celebrations to be . . . celebrated, crepes to eat, sights to be seen, and people to be met! Allons-y!"

"Okay, okay, I'm allonsing," I laughed, his excitement was contagious. "Now, partez-you so I can get dressed." He turned to leave but I stopped him with a question. "What do I wear in France in the year 3000?" He appeared puzzled as he looked at my clothes and then down at himself. "Do I have to wear a suit and a brown coat?"

He shrugged. "Well, you could. But that would be quite unoriginal, don't you think?"

I gave him a Look before he winked and left my room. I looked in the wardrobe and found a female's clothing. It made me wonder what had happened to his last companion to make her leave clothes on the TARDIS. I shook off the thought and chose a plain, white t-shirt to go with my own denim skirt. I kept my outfit basic to avoid attracting attention to myself and the Doctor. After I was dressed I went into the bathroom to figure out how to use the strange toilet. It ended up being very simple and similar to the automatic flushing toilets back home. I was a little disappointed.

The Doctor met me by the door of the TARDIS. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yup," I said and nodded.

He opened the door and we stepped out. We had landed just inside an alley and the sound of happy people was near. Music was being played all over; it blended in with the sounds of parades, people laughing, and horns. We turned the corner and saw the wonderful scene. The colors, the shops, the food, the cars, the people! Everything was so futuristic to me. The cars had no wheels, but glided a foot above the ground and were completely square. Each was a different color, not like the standard red, blue, white, black, and silver we had back home. The girls had short spiky hair, extremely long hair, or board straight hair. It seemed that those were the styles along with various colors of hair. Many boys wore hats or had hair similar to the girls'. Every person was wearing a different type of clothing, some looking to be old. I recognized an outfit like ones worn in the 1960's and even some from the 2000's. It seemed that the year 3000 celebrations included a costume contest of sorts with clothes from the times passed. Venders were selling flashing jewelry, candy that made your mouth glow neon colors, t-shirts with various slogans like "Party like It Is 2999," and delicious smelling food. My stomach growled viciously when I smelled something sweet cooking at one of the strange carts.

The Doctor grabbed my hand before we headed into the crowds of people. He was blabbing on about something excitedly, but I wasn't listening; I was too entranced by my surroundings. He eventually realized that I wasn't listening to a word he was saying and shut up before steering us towards a crowded café. He took out a small folder with a blank piece of paper and showed it to the hostess. Her eyes widened when he said "You know where we want to sit." She hurried off to rush a couple sitting at what I supposed was the best table. It overlooked the street and had a great view of the Eiffel Tower. The harassed looking couple left in a flurry of what I assumed was obscene gestures and insults in this time ("You're robot grease!").

We sat at the special table and ordered some kind of highly caffeinated drink and crepes. I was so excited that I could barely eat even though I was starving. I sipped at my drink and stared out at the street.

"Brilliant, isn't it?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, it's amazing," I sighed.

"I've never come here at this time before. I've only heard stories. Apparently there was a large amount of people who claimed to be abducted by aliens on this date. But at this time there is a huge fascination with extra terrestrials so the allegations are practically ignored," the Doctor said.

"You know, I've never believed in all that alien bull crap, no one ever has solid evidence," I explained.

"Sunny, I'm alien," the Doctor said with a strange sort of amusement.

I covered my open mouth to prevent chewed-up crepe from falling onto my lap.

"I thought you'd have guessed by now. Or the space ship would have been an obvious clue," he laughed.

"But you don't look like an alien! Aliens are supposed to have big green heads and big black eyes-"

"Some, but not all," he said somewhat defensively.

"I read once that aliens can read minds," I said and clutched my head. "Can you?"

"Not exactly, I-" he began but was cut off by screaming coming from outside the café.

We both jumped out of our seats and raced outside. People were running from what looked like a simple shadow. Vending carts were knocked over, tables flipped, glass broken, and children were crying. I didn't understand. What was so bad about a shadow in the evening? Then there was a beam of yellow light coming from the sky. It looked like a spot light shining on a man dressed in an old business suit. But then he shot up it. That's when I finally looked up to see where the light was coming from. It was a humungous, circular space ship. The kind everyone thinks about when they hear the word 'space ship.'

"Now _that's_ a space ship," I said and turned to where the doctor had been standing.

He was gone. I looked around frantically as I began to panic, myself. The streets were too crowded for me to even begin to look for him. "Doctor!" I screamed. He didn't answer.

A woman ran passed me and grabbed my arm. "Come on! They'll get you!"

"I need to find the Doctor!" I insisted helplessly.

"Now is no time for a meeting with a doctor!" the woman yelled, pulling at my arm. I ignored her.

The Doctor would be trying to save everyone here. He would get on the ship. I was sure he'd be at the center of it all. I had to get on the ship. I couldn't be lost in France in the year 3000.

I yanked my arm out of the woman's grasp and ran towards the ship's shadow. My heart was racing in my chest and my body protested in panic. I stopped directly under the bottom of the space ship and looked up. A hole in the center of the ship opened and the yellow beam of light came down. The light surrounded me and I couldn't see anything but yellow. I screamed and got a mouth full of what felt like chalk and tasted metallic. Before I knew what to do, I was in the ship. I coughed and spit, but nothing was in my mouth after I came out of the beam of light. The hole at the bottom of the ship had closed under me and I scrambled to my feet and got off of it. Breathing heavily, I looked around. I was in a room that looked to be made of steel.

"Hello?" I called out. My voice sounded thin and weak in this room. "Doctor?"

A strange fizzing sound cut across my voice. I spun to see a door materializing in the wall. It was a perfect rectangular shape, but it looked to be pixilated as it dissolved to reveal the room behind it. That's when I saw my first alien.

Well, second. But the first one to actually l_ook_ like an alien.

I gasped and stepped back. It was green. It had big, blinking eyes. It emitted no sound when it spoke. It spoke in colors. As it opened its mouth, waves of colored smoke came out. Purple. Pale pink. Yellow. It was absolutely beautiful. Its body was smooth and bare, and shimmered slightly in the light as it stepped towards me. I took another step back. I wasn't sure if it was going to hurt me. It didn't look evil or angry. It actually looked curious.

A few moments later and it was directly in front of me. The breath coming from its slit nostrils smelled like plastic and the color words felt like a soft wind. I was panicking and I wanted out. But when the alien lifted a three fingered hand and gently touched my face, I calmed down. A puff of yellow and then pale pink caressed the air between us.

"Hello," I said in a whisper. "I'm Sunny."

Another puff of purple was my answer.

I braved a chance to touch the aliens face. The skin was cold and smooth.

A puff of yellow again.

Suddenly I was picked up with impressive strength and slung over the aliens shoulder. The top half of my body hung down its back as it held onto my legs. We were moving towards the door which dissolved for our exit. "Um, excuse me, uh, could you let me down?"

When the alien didn't comply, I began to panic again. What was it going to do to me? I looked up and saw that we'd entered a control room of sorts. It was filled with flashing buttons and switches on hundreds of consoles. A message board was flashing over each console. Orange, yellow, green, orange, yellow, green. We passed through the room, leaving the hundred or so other aliens to their jobs at the controls. Another door dissolved for us to go through. This one led to a room where I heard human voices. My stomach jumped in relief and excitement. I was gently put down on the ground facing the alien. It looked at me and gave a wisp of pale pink before leaving.

"Sunny? Sunny!" I heard a familiar voice call.

I turned around to the people there and saw the Doctor rushing to me. "Hey, Doc," I said, beginning to feel guilty for practically jumping on the ship. I was sure to be scolded.

"I guess your name is that pale pink," he said casually.

"Huh?" I was flabbergasted. How could he be so calm and not angry?

"They speak in colors. And they know you're a girl, so you get a warm color, and they see you as young, so it's pale. But everyone gets a different shade. It's quite fascinating, really," he explained.

"What's your color?" I asked.

"Dark grey."

"How flattering. Does that mean you're an old man?" I laughed.

"An old alien," he corrected. "So we must have jinxed ourselves talking about the Vertorins in the café."

"The _who_?" I asked.

"The Vertorins. They're the aliens that everyone claims to have seen. Some probably have. This species is a very curious one. Very knowledge seeking. Since the Earth and humans are extremely young, they like to examine them," he said.

I looked around and saw that most of the people were chatting casually, though some were looking a little anxious. "Are they harmless?" I asked.

"Essentially, yes. But their poking and prodding can sometimes be painful and has caused death in the past. All they want is to know, to learn," he said as he led me to where he had his brown coat against a wall.

"Why'd they take so many people at once?" I asked, sitting down.

"That's what I'm wondering. It's possible that they are studying our social interactions, though I'm not so sure," he said, his face changing from happy to concern.

"Why doesn't everyone just leave through the fizzy door?" I asked as if it were obvious.

"'Cos they're not aliens." He mocked my tone.

"Someone here is," I said in a sing-song voice.

"Not the right kind." He mocked me again.

"Hmph," I sighed and slumped against the wall.

We waited in the room for two hours before the materializing door opened. Everyone jumped up when two aliens came in. I could tell right away that it was the alien that came and got me and another. They looked exactly alike, but I just knew when I saw it.

"That's the one that brought me here," I said, standing up with the Doctor.

"Yes, they stick to your memory. You'll never confuse them," he said as he studied their movements with a raised eyebrow.

A cloud of my pale pink came out of their mouths. My eyes widened and I looked up at the Doctor. He put a hand on my shoulder but continued to watch the aliens. Another cloud of my pink. They were calling my name.

"I don't want to go with them," I whispered and inched to hide behind the Doctor.

The aliens took a long breath and smelled me hiding. I stopped peeking from under the Doctor's arm and covered my face with my hands. It was a stupid move; if they could smell out my location, I'm sure they wouldn't be fooled by a covered face.

Just as an alien grabbed me, I gripped a firm hold on the Doctor's arm. "No, no, no, no, no," I repeated.

"Sunny, I'm sorry, go with them, I'll come find you. I promise," he said and pulled my hands off his arm. He squeezed my fingers before letting me go.

I knew they weren't purposefully harmful, but I was still terrified of the experiments. I let out an involuntary shriek as I was quickly carried out of the room the same way I was brought in. I have to admit the scream was quite pathetic sounding so I wasn't surprised to see the Doctor following the aliens and me to the door with an accompanying pathetic look on his face.

Then the door was gone. We were in the control room, passing the hundreds of worker aliens, before going through another door. It smelled like a doctor's office; the cleaner and band-aid smell. I was flopped into what felt like a dentist's chair. My hands and feet were strapped down to the chair. It was a chair that I figured dentists _wished_ they had. Two other aliens were in the room and I got the impression that they were smarter than the average Vertorin.

The two that brought me in the room left. One Vertorin acknowledged me with pale pink. And then a breath of yellow followed by flashes of many different colors. So many that I couldn't begin to name them all. It must have been talking to the other Vertorin.

The one who wasn't talking moved around to behind the chair and then placed something on my head. It felt like a dome hair dryer. I looked up before it could strap my head into it. It wasn't a hair dryer; it looked like it could suck out my brain.

"You're kidding, right?" I yelled. Both aliens stood blinking at me after my out burst. Then there was a cloud of a soft lavender color that left the space in front of the alien and circled me and the chair it brushed against my face and my fingers. It was as if the alien was singing to me! I felt calmer despite myself.

The Vertorin that placed the brain sucker on my head turned it on. It did not suck out my brains; it tickled from the inside of my head. It was as if my brain was vibrating slightly. A screen was turned on in the wall near the door. The Vertorins turned to watch it. It played out my memories. Playing with my dad, losing my dad, elementary school, the Christmas without presents, the Christmas with lots of presents, breaking my arm on the playground, my first best friend, my second best friend, sleepovers, getting my first camera, high school, my first date, my first kiss, my first boyfriend, second boyfriend, third boyfriend, the first time I was dumped, community college, dropping out, crying over not being able to go to art school, buying an expensive camera, the Daleks, the defeated Daleks, taking pictures of the Daleks, meeting the Doctor, stopping the scientist, the TARDIS, Aspen, Yeti, defeating the Yeti, the avalanche, butterflies, France, café, the Doctor. . . .

The tape ended. My brain stopped vibrating and the sudden stop made me sick. I wanted to vomit, but I steadied myself. I didn't want my vomiting to make the Vertorins curious on how that works. I swallowed hard and looked away from the screen. The aliens were conversing very quickly as one undid the locks holding me into the chair. A message floated in through the door without opening it. It was a complex series of colors that made the aliens stop what they were saying and rush from the room.

I jumped from the chair and ran to the door. It didn't open. I screamed and pounded my fist on it. It opened. I looked around, saw none of the aliens and ran from the room. I ran down the hallway and collided with the Doctor at the end of it. "Oof!" I said as I landed on my butt.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," he said and quickly helped me up. He kept my hand in his as he led me to another door. "Told you I'd come find you."

"Is that what you call what just happened? I call that me escaping and you just happening to be at the end of the hallway," I said as the door opened. We entered another control room. This one had a smaller amount of controls with less flashing buttons.

"Escaping? Noooo, Sunny, I opened the doors," he insisted as he pressed a few buttons on the control panel.

"Mhm, suuure," I scoffed.

"Hold this switch while-" he began but was cut off by an alarm.

I held the switch while watching the door. The doctor was running around pressing buttons and using his sonic screwdriver. It looked random to me but he seemed to know what he was doing.

"Aaaaaaaaand. . . there!" he said as the alarm shut off. But the lights went out with it. "Oh."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" I asked sarcastically, knowing full well he'd done it.

"_Don't_ say that," he said harshly.

"Well, you did do it," I replied defensively.

"Shhh," he shushed me. "Listen."

I listened carefully and heard people talking. I made my way back to the door and listened again.

"We're on the ground!"

"Careful, now, don't jump!"

"Mummy, can we get ice cream?"

"Glad we're back before the fireworks!"

I turned back to where the Doctor was standing before the lights went out. "They're getting off the ship! They're safe! We're safe!"

"They are. We're not," he said solemnly.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.

"I shut off the power. That means the doors are shut again until I start the power back up. And when I do that, the Vertorins will find us. I provoked them, so they will be angry," he said in a low voice.

"We have to try!" I said with a hint of desperation.

"It'll risk your life, Sunny!" he said, making his way over to me in the dark.

"I don't care! What are we going to do, just sit here? I don't think so!" I exclaimed.

"Sunny, you have to understand that it will take them less than a minute to find us once the power's back on. But it'll take me at least two to get the doors open to our access again," he explained.

"Then we wont use the doors," I said, trying to remember what was in the room. I remembered the controls but I thought I had seen a vent in the wall to the right of the door. "I think there was a vent in here somewhere."

"Aw, Sunny, you're brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Fantastic!"

I heard him move away from me to the wall. I followed him and ran my hands over the wall until my fingers jammed against the grate. "Found it," I said.

He used his sonic screwdriver to take the grate off. The blue light lit part of the room with an eerie glow that reflected off the steel. When the grate was off he said: "Ladies first" and I climbed in.

I crawled a few feet in and waited for him. Moments later the lights came back on and he ran and jumped into the vent. "Go, go, go!" he cried.

We crawled as fast as we could for only a couple minutes before there was a fork in the vent. "Uh, go left!" he said, uncertain. Left was, indeed the correct way to the exit, but the angry Vertorins knew that, too. A Vertorin crawled out in front of me at the next junction. I screamed and stopped.

"Turn back!" Doctor yelled. When I didn't move, he grabbed my belt loop at the back of my denim skirt and pulled me.

The Vertorin was my alien- the first one I saw. It recognized me, as well. A breath of pale pink was my greeting. A purple cloud was next. I put out my hands and stopped the Doctor from pulling me any further.

"Wait! What does purple mean?" I asked.

"It's a friendly hello," he said and stopped.

"It's my alien," I said.

"Sunny, he's angry. He'll hurt you," he insisted.

"No! Wait," I said and crawled towards the alien. I caressed its face and smiled.

Pale pink.

"Which way is _home_?" I asked slowly.

The alien turned and pointed in the direction the Doctor and I had been heading towards.

"Thank you," I said slowly and caressed the alien's face again. The Vertorin moved back so we could get through and I continued to crawl.

"How'd you do that?" he asked, his tone a mixture of awe, confusion, and jealousy.

"I don't know. I figured that they were studying humans enough that they'd at least know some basic English. And I was-"

"Sunny, you spoke their language," he said.

"No, I didn't," I laughed.

"Yes, you did," he persisted.

"I did?"

"Yes!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"How'd I do that?"

"That's what I was asking!"

"Well, I don't know," I said as we rounded a corner.

"Here we are," he said as we reached the vent that lead to the room with the opening to the outside.

"How do I open it?" I asked.

"Here, take the sonic screwdriver," he said and handed it to me.

"I feel honored," I joked.

"You should. Setting 36," he said.

"How do I do that?" I asked and fiddled with it.

"Turn the setting- see? There you got it," he coached.

I pointed the screwdriver and pressed the button. I couldn't hold it steady enough or the button down long enough to open the grate. "I need screwdriver lessons," I laughed.

"Well, we don't have time for them now, so move over," he said.

I flattened myself against the side of the vent as much as I could. But it was still a tight fit. It was one of the very few moments that I'm glad I have absolutely no boobs. He slid himself on his side passed me to get to the grate.

"Oh my god, are you holding the screwdriver?" I asked, terrified.

"Yes, why?" he asked as he began to use it to open the grate.

"Please tell me you have two," I said, even more terrified.

"No, just the one," he said.

"Then please tell me you have something in your pocket!"

"I have lots of stuff in my pockets. Which pocket?" He said simply.

"The one my hand is touching," I said in a choked voice.

"Um, a stethoscope, the psychic paper, a pack of gum, and a magnifying glass," he replied.

I relaxed after he said magnifying glass- it has a handle. "Why in the world do you have a stethoscope and a magnifying glass?" I asked.

"The stethoscope is 'cos I'm the Doctor, and so I can see if people or aliens are alive. The magnifying glass is for fine print. Besides it came with my trench coat."

"You got a magnifying glass with a brown trench coat?" I laughed.

"Yeah, why not?" He asked. "Finished! Allons-y!"

We climbed out of the vent and down through the ships opening. It was dark and quiet near the ship but the sound of celebrations could be heard blocks over.

"We made it!" I exclaimed and skipped a few steps down the road.

Engines roared behind us and bright lights flared up. We turned around, the wind from the ship whipping our hair and clothes, and watched the ship take off. Just before it left our sight, a string of pale pink light twirled in the night sky amongst the stars. We watched until we couldn't see it anymore.

"It's just about midnight; would you like to see the fireworks?" He said in a tone that gently reminded me that I was on Earth.

"Oh, yeah, let's go," I said, shaking my head.

Once we were surrounded by all the happy celebrations and the stories about friendly aliens, our spirits were lifted. We bought stupid "Party Like It's 2999" t-shirts and neon candy before we went to the fireworks and count down. Each second there was a firework displaying the countdown. Everyone counted down with it, including the Doctor and me.

At one there was an _amazing_ display. It was better than any fireworks display I'd ever seen. The shapes and colors were so fantastic that that was what made me realize that I was in the future. It wasn't the cars or the t-shirts that made me grasp the reality of it all- it was the fireworks. The people around me weren't just celebrating the New Year; they were celebrating the fact that they were _alive._ Alive in the year 3000, alive after aliens abducted them, and alive to see the beauty of what good intentions can make.

I jumped and cheered like everyone else was. Then I remembered a tradition that we had back home on New Years that I wasn't sure everyone had, but it was tradition, nonetheless. I turned to the Doctor, threw my arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss before laughing and turning back to watch the fireworks. I did sneak a glance at him a few seconds later. He was looking at me, with a very confused and shocked expression.

I rolled my eyes "It's tradition back home!" I yelled.

He nodded, still looking shocked. I couldn't help but laugh.


	4. A New Home for Sunny

**A New Home for Sunny**

We returned to the TARDIS at what was close to three in the morning. My head was pounding from the noise of the fireworks and the loud celebrations that went on for hours. We only left because the Doctor insisted that I looked exhausted. I tried to fight it so we could stay longer, but I was too tired to try very hard. Once we entered the TARDIS, my ears were ringing from the sudden absence of noise.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked as he flung his brown coat onto a railing near the door. I picked it up and hung it on a coat hook right next to the door.

"Yeah, I had a great time. Except for the alien abduction part," I replied.

"I want to talk to you about that," he said turning to look at me seriously.

Oh, snap. I knew I wasn't going to be let off for this one.

"Did you purposefully get yourself on that ship?" he asked.

"Did you?" I asked innocently.

"I'm the one asking the questions here," he said even though a slight smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

I sighed. "Yes, but only because I wanted to find you. I didn't want to be lost in France in the year 3000," I defended.

"Sunny! You had no idea what you were getting yourself into! Didn't you think?" he scolded.

"Um, no," I admitted sheepishly.

"It was brave of you, but also stupid," he said in less of a scolding tone.

"Bravery and stupidity are opposites, are they not?" I asked and immediately regretted it. I needed to watch my mouth if I wanted to stay here.

Surprisingly, he laughed. "Sort of, yeah. There's a blurry line there somewhere."

"I have a question," I said after a few moments. "Why'd you run off without telling me?"

"I-I-" he stammered as the scolding stick was passed into my hands.

"And another question: why'd you let the alien take me?" I asked, walking towards him with a stern expression.

"Sunny-"

"If you were so worried about my well being, you wouldn't have done either, now would you?" I continued, stopping right in front of him.

There was a moment of silence. I looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, so I can speak now?" he asked with a somewhat annoyed expression.

I continued my out-with-it Look.

"I left you because I figured you were smart enough to run back to the TARDIS. And I let you go with the Vertorins because I knew the chances of them harming you were slim unless they were aggravated by force. You can't possibly think I would just hand you over to someone who meant to hurt you!" He was practically yelling by the time he finished.

"Well, I was absolutely terrified! I'm _sorry_ I'm not familiar with the intentions of aliens! I'm _sorry _I'm not as smart as you! But a warning next time would be great," I yelled back.

"No, I'm sorry," he said with a defeated sigh. He turned away and set coordinates on the TARDIS.

"You should be," I said in a harsh tone.

"Next time I'll give you a fair warning before I hand you over to aliens," he said not looking at me.

"There better not be a next time!" I exclaimed, outraged.

He turned to me with a grin on his face. "I was kidding." I punched his arm. "Ow," he said and laughed.

I stomped over to the other side of the TARDIS controls. A few seconds later I asked "Where are we going now?" in a quiet voice.

"Just into the time vortex for the night," he said as the TARDIS began to move.

"Can I go home tomorrow to get some clothes and to tell my mom where I'll be?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. "I don't have to meet her, do I?"

"Uh, I don't think so." I shrugged.

"Good, I don't have a good history with mums," he stated as the TARDIS settled.

"I don't even want to know," I said and started to walk to my room.

"You're not still mad at me, are you?" he asked as I passed him.

"Doctor, you're asking a girl from North End Boston, who's of heavy Italian heritage, if her temper has gone down two minutes after an argument," I said in a flat tone, using the accent of my neighbors.

"Oh," he said. "Well, good night."

Back in my room I found a pair of pajamas from the previous travel companion and put them on. They were normal, pink, cotton pajamas but they were very comfortable. I tossed and turned in the bed and couldn't fall asleep. I decided that raiding the fridge was a good idea and hopped out of bed. As soon as I left my room I could smell something chocolaty. The Doctor was obviously awake and in the kitchen.

He practically jumped when I walked in the kitchen. "I though you'd gone to bed," he said.

"I did, but I couldn't get to sleep," I said and leaned against the counter.

"I made hot chocolate if you'd like some," he said nodding towards a teapot on the stove.

"Thanks," I said and poured myself a cup. He was sitting at the table and I plopped down into the seat across from him.

"What kept you from sleeping?" he asked.

"Curiosity," I said and blushed.

"About what?" he asked and sipped his drink.

"You," I said.

"Well, ask away," he grinned and sat back in his chair.

"What makes you alien? I see no differences from a human," I practically exploded with the question that had been bugging me all afternoon and especially tonight.

"Oh, I'm _much_ more attractive," he replied with a completely serious expression, though I was pretty sure he was kidding.

I kept a blank face, blinked, and continued. "Anything else?"

"Well, I was born on Gallifrey-"

"Oh that's right! But you said it was in Ireland!" I remembered.

"Actually, _you_ said it was in Ireland," he laughed. "I just let you believe that."

"Then why'd you tell me in the first place?" I asked.

"'Cos I knew you wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about," he said with a prideful smirk.

"Where is Gallifrey?" I asked, completely interested.

"It doesn't exist anymore. It's gone," he said with a look that basically said "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Um, ok, so what kind of alien are you?" I asked.

"I'm a Time Lord," he replied.

"Ah, that makes sense. You know, with the time machine and all." I nodded and thought a few minutes while sipping on my chocolate. "Do you have a family?"

"At one time I did. But not now," he said with the same blocked off look.

I just had to say all the wrong things, didn't I?

"I don't have all that much of a family, either. My dad left us when I was little, my older brother is a drug addict and my mom is an alcoholic. My grandma helped out a lot until she got too old. I could go visit her, but getting there is too expensive," I tried to relate.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You didn't do it," I smiled ruefully.

"I was being polite," he said.

"I know," I said, then cheered up. "Hey! We could be like family now."

"I always consider those who travel with me as family," he said with a smile.

"Good. So let me ask you again: do you have a family?" I laughed.

"Yes, this one girl who practically never shuts up. She gets herself into loads of trouble and gets cheeky every so often. But she has a big heart and a good head on her shoulders," he said with a smirk. "And yourself?"

"Oh, just this grumpy, old guy who gave me away to aliens and almost got me lost in France. He let me cry on his shoulder and even listens when I talk to him. Or, at least he's really good at pretending to listen. But he's a great guy that puts everyone else before himself. He also has a big heart" I said.

"Two big hearts," he corrected.

"What?"

"I have two hearts," he repeated.

"Ew. Don't tell me this is a penis joke that I don't understand," I said and crinkled my nose.

"Sunny, no!" he laughed. "I have _two hearts_!"

I looked at him suspiciously. Having two hearts wasn't possible! "Like a worm or a squid?" I raised an eyebrow.

He pretended to be offended. "Come have a listen, then," he said and gestured to his chest.

I went around the table and kneeled next to his chair. I put my ear where a human heart would be and heard the beating of his heart. I pulled away and looked up at him. "Where's the other one?" He smiled and moved my head to the other side. I heard another heart beating. I gasped. "No way!" I figured I was just hearing the same one so I pressed my hands against his chest to feel the pulse of his hearts.

"A little forward, are we?" he joked.

"That's crazy!" I exclaimed when I felt the two separate hearts beating. "No wonder you're always so energetic; you have twice the adrenaline."

"Can I ask you a serious question?" he asked.

"Sure," I said, a little hesitant as I returned to my seat.

"Do you have much going for you at home?" His expression was extremely severe as if something depended on the answer.

"No, not really. I have a crappy job, and a terrible family, few friends, and only a partial education," I replied truthfully.

He nodded and sat back again, looking relieved. "Got any other questions?"

"Yeah, what's your name?"

"The Doctor," he replied with a tone that suggested I was stupid.

"I know, but your _real_ name. Everyone calls me Sunny, but my name is really Mary-Alice," I explained.

"That's it. That's my name," he said.

"That's weird."

"Watch it, Mary-Alice," he said warningly.

I glared at him and he glared right back.

"What does TARDIS mean?" I asked, finishing my hot chocolate.

"Time And Relative Dimensions in Space," replied proudly.

"Cool, cool," I replied slowly. I put my mug in the sink and turned back to him.

"You have another question, I can see it," he said lightheartedly.

"I was trying to figure out how to word it appropriately so I don't sound like a total creeper," I said, crossing my arms.

"Well, just say it and I won't think you're a 'creeper,'" he laughed.

"Okay, uh, do you have two of anything else?" I asked embarrassedly.

"How does that make you a creeper?" he looked at me as if I was deranged.

"It's not every day you ask someone you've practically just met about their bodily organs," I said and rolled my eyes.

"I agree. But this is different; you're talking to a Time Lord. To answer your question I have two eyes, two ears, two hands-"

"Oh, so you don't have, like, two spines or something," I clarified.

"Nope. Just the one," he said and put his own mug in the sink.

"Doctor?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like having me here?" I looked down at my painted silver toes.

"Of course," he said and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Good. Because, honestly, there's no place else for me. I've never had this much fun and I never really felt welcome anywhere. Not even at home where I shared a bedroom with my drunk mom and had to answer the door when my brother's dealers came looking for him and his money at two in the morning. Everyone around me was always so involved in their own hell to pay attention to me or show any bit of care towards me. And here, on the TARDIS, in France, in Aspen, I've felt needed and welcome," I said, still looking down. I was embarrassed and a little emotional over this revelation.

The Doctor didn't say anything. I'm sure he didn't know what to say; I sure as hell wouldn't have. Instead, he pulled me into a warm hug. My face was pressed against his snuggly sweater. He smelled like hot chocolate and old books. He must have been reading an old, dusty novel before coming to the kitchen. He stroked my hair lightly as I tightened my grip around his torso.

"Thank you, Doctor," I whispered.

"You're welcome, Sunny," he replied.

I pulled away a little and looked up at him, amused . "You know what? The last time I said 'thank you, doctor' to someone besides you was when I was getting my third prescription for antidepressants."

His forehead creased with worry. "Do you need them? Are they here? Isn't it dangerous to suddenly stop taking them?"

"They're at home. Not taking them makes me nauseas and it's hard to sleep. And no, I don't think I need them anymore," I said.

"Well, when we go back to Boston in the morning, I want you to take them. I don't want you to be sick," he said.

I nodded. He stepped back from me, kissed the top of my head and said goodnight.

I washed the dishes in the sink and tidied up the kitchen a little before I went to my room. I got into bed and fell asleep soon after, thinking of my new world and my new home.

When I woke up, I stayed in bed for a while, basking in the glow of my newfound happiness. I looked out the window and saw the top of a roof and a clear sky above it. The Doctor must have been awake because he landed us in Boston. I groaned and got out of bed. I shuffled out to the kitchen and opened the fridge. There were many containers of food and drinks, but I didn't look through it all. I saw an apple and some orange juice and had my breakfast. I ate quickly and went back to my room to grab some clothes and then headed to the shower. I finished quickly and let my short hair air dry. I dressed in my dirty denim skirt and a pink, light-weight sweater and then went out to find the Doctor.

I found him outside the TARDIS, leaning on the railing around the edge of the roof of the apartment, looking down at the activity below. I went and stood next to him, adopting his stance. "Good morning," he said when he saw me.

"It would be better if we weren't here," I sighed.

"You'll have to come back sooner or later," he said gloomily.

I didn't know what to say, though I was a little bit offended.

"Are you alright going on your own?" he asked.

"Doctor, I've lived here since I was ten, I can walk the streets on my own," I scoffed.

"I meant to talk to your mom," he clarified. The wind picked up and blew my hair towards him and into my eyes.

I hesitated before answering. "Uh, I'd like you to come. But only if you want to even with your terrible track record with moms."

He smiled. "I can handle it. What's her name?"

"Jackie," I replied.

"No," he said as if I'd told him my mom's name was Lucifer.

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes, it is!" I insisted, not knowing what the hell was going on.

"No. Can I call her something else?" he asked desperately.

"Mrs. Thompson," I said, still confused. "What's wrong with her first name?"

"Long story," he said.

"Old girlfriend?" I suggested.

"No! Aw, Sunny! Just no!" he exclaimed as if I'd majorly disgusted him somehow.

"Okay, then," I said slowly. "We might as well go now."

We made it to my apartment by eleven in the morning, according to the clock just inside our front door. I saw my brother first and was terribly embarrassed that the Doctor had to see him. His eyes were red and puffy, what looked like vomit stained his shirt, and his hair was filthy. He was obviously coming home after a long binge of pot and crystal meth. He looked at me and then the Doctor with his lazy, stoned expression.

"You're in trouble Miss Sunny," he drawled. "Who's this guy? Your pimp?"

"Shut up, Chad!" I snapped. "Where's Mom?"

"Her room," he said, not taking his eyes off the Doctor. "How much you charging for my little sister?"

I wanted to hurt him.

The Doctor's expression was one of repressed disgust and a whole lot of anger. "I would you appreciate you not talking about Sunny that way," he said lividly.

"Doctor, no. It's okay, really. Come on. Let's talk to my mom, get my stuff and leave," I whispered, tugging at his hand.

He gave Chad a Look that said "I'm too polite to spit on you, but I really want to right now" and followed me to the room I shared with my mom.

I knocked and pushed open the door slowly. "Mom?" I peeked in and saw her sitting on her bed with her back up against the wall, drinking a brown liquid straight from the bottle. I was ten times as embarrassed. I turned to the Doctor with a scarlet blush on my cheeks. "Do you want to wait outside?"

"Don't be embarrassed, Sunny. You're not responsible for them and you are nothing like them," he said and turned me back to the door.

I took a deep breath and opened the door fully and stepped in. "Hey, Mom," I said.

She looked up at me with unfocused eyes. "Whatchu doin' back? I though you left me," she slurred.

"Not yet. But I am right now. Mom, I'm leaving with a friend. He's offered me a place to stay," I said, trying to be as brave as I could.

"Why you leavin' me? Just like your father, just like your father," she moaned and took a long drink from her bottle.

That hurt. I was not my father. "No, Mom. I have a reason to leave you, not like him," I said, fighting back tears.

"What good does the reason do me?" she yelled in her weak voice, pointing to her chest.

I looked at our twin beds and then at my mom's tired face. "You get a bigger bed," I said and pushed the beds together with the Doctor's help. "Go to sleep, Mom."

"Big bed, big sleep," she murmured and lied down. I took the bottle from her hands before it spilled all over her.

"Get rid of this while I pack," I said to the Doctor and handed him the bottle.

He left the room and I threw all of my clothes in a bag along with my camera and supplies, books, my favorite pumpkin candle, shoes, CDs, and a few other things. I was ready in five minutes and met the Doctor in the kitchen. He had emptied all of the bottles of alcohol in the cabinets into the sink.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said though I was unsure.

Once into the hall outside the apartment, I stopped. "Wait, who's going to give up their paycheck to Chad's dealers when they come looking for money? Who's going to flirt with the cable man, the plumber, the electrician, the landlord to get discounts on repairs? Who's going to hold my mom's hair back when she's sick? Who's going to-?"

"Sunny," the Doctor stopped me. "You can get them help."

I nodded. "I know the way to police. Sergeant John is pretty cool," I said glumly and lead the way.

The police promised to take Chad and my mom to rehab and to take care of them. The Doctor and I left feeling much better about going away and leaving them. I was officially severed from the responsibility of taking care of them. And that felt oh so good.


	5. It's Always Sunny at Torchwood

**Chapter 5**

"Before we leave this time, there's someone I would like you to meet while we refuel," the Doctor said as we entered the TARDIS.

"Great, where?" I asked as I hung up the coat that the Doctor had, once again, thrown onto the railing.

"Cardiff," he said and started up the TARDIS.

I nodded and pretended I knew where that was; because he said it so casually as if everyone knew where it was. I was sure I'd figure it out soon enough.

We landed soon after, and the Doctor bounded to the door without an "Allons-y!" but with a huge grin on his face. He flung open the door and I followed as quickly as I could, worrying that he'd wander off somewhere without me. I ran out of the TARDIS and saw that I was indoors in what looked like an underground facility judging by the fact that there were no windows. I saw the Doctor hugging another guy and thumping him on the back. I must say, I was very confused and a little intrigued.

"Long time no see!" said the man the Doctor had hugged. He had an American accent, he was tall, handsome, and wearing a military style jacket. He saw me come out of the TARDIS and looked me over quickly so that maybe I wouldn't notice. But I did. "And who's the little one?"

"Hey! I'm an adult!" I snapped defensively.

"American? Doctor, you have an American on the TARDIS and it's not me? I feel betrayed," he joked.

"Sunny, this is Captain Jack Harkness, head of Torchwood. Jack, this is Sunny," the Doctor said bringing Sunny closer to Jack and himself.

"Nice to meet you Sunny," Jack said and held out his hand. "Sorry I insulted you before."

"It's okay. And nice to meet you, too," I said as I shook his hand. "Have you two known each other long?"

"Yeah, we go back," Jack said with a laugh.

Someone cleared their throat. Jack looked over to a desk and computer about ten feet away. A woman with dark brown hair and blue-green eyes and a man in a suit with brown hair and blue eyes were watching us curiously. "Oh, sorry. Sunny, Doctor, this is the rest of Torchwood; Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones."

Their curious looks became even more curious after the introduction. "This is your Doctor?" asked Gwen.

"Yes," Jack responded.

"The one who took you away for seven months?" Gwen continued.

"Yes," Jack replied.

"The one you'd like to-" Ianto began.

"Nope, not that one," Jack stopped him. He turned back to me and the Doctor. "So what brings you here?"

"Well, we were in the year, over in Boston, and I decided to drop in," the Doctor shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad you did. Always happy to see you, but do we have an issue with a possible alien eating all of England's crops. It's been going on for about a month now, but other issues have kept us from it," Jack said, leading us to the computer Ianto and Gwen were sitting at. "Most of the North's crops are completely gone. Now the cattle and sheep here are disappearing. No bones, no remains, nothing. And no sightings of anything unusual besides huge holes in the ground. So we're thinking it lives underground."

"Doesn't sound familiar yet," the Doctor said and pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on. He peered at the computer screen. Ianto moved to the side to let me see. Pictures of the holes in the ground were on the screen next to a reading of what looked like a heart monitor.

"What does that line monitor?" I asked.

"The rift activity," Gwen replied. "It tells us if aliens or something from the future or past are coming through the rift."

"So that's what makes you think that it's an alien?" I asked.

"That and the fact that it's eating practically everything on farms," Ianto said.

"It must be big and hungry. If it hasn't been seen and it goes underground, it needs open land and has found it. And since it's been eating large amounts of crops and animals that are confined to a specific area, it must have a large appetite. The farms are probably its best bet for getting the most food at once," I said, the wheels in my head turning.

"I like her," Jack said to the Doctor.

"She can talk to Vertorins," the Doctor said as if to confirm that it's acceptable to like me.

"What?" Jack exclaimed.

"How do you do that?" Gwen asked, turning around to look at me.

"I don't know, I just did," I said and blushed.

"Impressive," Ianto said with a nod to me. I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, let's go find ourselves an alien," Gwen said and stood up from the computer.

"Found one," I said and poked the Doctor in the ribs. He and Jack laughed and we followed Ianto and Gwen.

Jack began to hand out weapons to us. I reluctantly took a stun gun, a normal gun, as well as ear pieces for communication. I looked up at the Doctor to see him holding his weapons and staring at Jack strangely.

"Take them, Doctor, just in case," Jack said with a sigh.

I put the ear piece in and Gwen taught me how to use it. Ianto was holding what looked like a first aid kit and Gwen took a strange device off a desk before we left. We went out through a door that looked like a large gear and walked to a black SUV.

"Shotgun!" I called and went to walk to the passenger seat but someone was running passed me. "Hey!" I shouted and ran after them. I realized it was Ianto when he reached the SUV before me. "I called it!"

"I get the front seat," he said and opened the door and got in.

"He and Jack have got a 'thing,'" Gwen said to me. That explains stealing my seat.

Gwen, the Doctor, and I got in the back. I looked at the device Gwen was holding and watched the rift activity readings. She pressed a few buttons and was able to locate where the activity was coming from. She told Jack a series of directions as he started the SUV.

We were at a cattle farm within a few minutes and followed Gwen and the rift monitor. A farmer came bursting out of a barn, yelling for us to get off his land.

"Torchwood!" Jack called to the man who then nodded, waved, and went back into the barn. Then Jack crossed over to the other side of the Doctor to talk to me. "So where have you gone so far and what have you done?"

"A mad scientist in my hometown, Boston was reviving Daleks, Aspen before the avalanche, where we defeated a few Yeti, France in the year 3000, where we met and then angered a bunch of Vertorins, and now here," I replied.

"That's it?" he asked.

"It's only been a few days," I shrugged.

"Okay, please don't take this as an insult, but stay back when we find the alien. I don't want you fighting with so little experience," Jack said, concerned.

"I wouldn't bother," the Doctor said to Jack, shaking his head. "She's way too stubborn to listen."

"It's just up ahead," Gwen said. We began to run to where she indicated.

Just as we were approaching the middle of the field, a crashing sound was heard. I gasped as dirt and grass flew at us. A rock hit my shoulder but we didn't stop running until the alien came out of the ground. It was massive. Its skin was brown and slick and covered its long body. It looked almost like an earthworm if one didn't pay attention to the large black eyes, rows of razor sharp teeth, and black spikes on its head. I bit back a scream as it moved towards us.

We began to run to the right to get out of its path. "Recognize it?" I asked the Doctor.

"Yes, the creature is normally harmless and lazy, but now it's terrified, hungry, and angry," he replied.

"We have no way of saving it," Jack said. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor nodded. "The only thing that we have that can kill it is electricity." He pulled his stun gun from his pocket. "It has been living underground here on Earth and eating the crops-"

"The soil is saturated with water and the plants need water to grow. It's filled with water!" I exclaimed.

"And electricity and water don't mix well," Ianto finished.

"Let's go," I said.

"Not so fast, kiddo. Remember what I said?" Jack warned and grabbed my arm.

I yanked my arm back and set off running towards the alien. I knew it was a bad idea, but being underestimated made me very angry. Nobody called me 'kiddo.' I heard the others yelling for me to stop and pounding footsteps behind me, but I didn't stop. Upon reaching the alien where it had paused to eat a cow, I stunned its side. It stopped eating the poor cow and howled in pain as electricity coursed through its body. My heart clenched at the sound of its cry, but I stunned it again.

It realized I was there and before I could move, or anyone else could get to me, the thin end or tail of the alien swung out and slammed into me. I was thrown to the ground just under the mouth of the alien. The impact against the ground made my head swim and my body numb. I heard voices and the sound of two more electric shocks before there was a sharp pain in my side and everything went black.

I was swimming, spinning, floating on a velvety sea of nothingness. Everything was quiet but I felt something there. I felt a presence near me, but I couldn't see anything. So dark. Something slid over my body, enveloping me. I feared it but welcomed it . . . .

Suddenly, I was being roughly lifted and, by the feel of it, shaken. I was pulled back from that dark place so fast it hurt. My entire body was in pain. I tried to scream, but my mouth only let out a groan. I wanted that dark, black, painless place again.

Voices. Whose voices?

"Does she have a pulse?" A woman's voice asked.

There was no answer to her question, just continued running footsteps. Were they talking about me?

"Does she have a pulse, Jack?" She asked in a much more stern voice.

"Very faint, but there. We need to get her away from the alien and onto a surface before we can look at her," a man said. He must have been close, because I felt the vibrations of his voice.

Seconds later I was practically thrown onto a hard surface. Someone had stopped shaking me, but the pain was still there. When my body hit the surface, my arms flew out to my sides from the impact, causing extreme pain in my left side. It felt as though my body was ripping and tearing open. I took a huge breath and screamed. This time real sound came out; raw and terrifying even to me.

"She's alive!" I heard another man said.

Who was alive? Was someone hurt? Wait, was I hurt?

"Painkillers, NOW!" someone demanded. There was a sharp pinch in my thigh and slowly pain faded and I began to gain control over my body again. My fingers twitched and then someone held them in their own. I didn't realized how cold I was until I felt the warmth of their hand. That's when I noticed I was shivering, but it wasn't cold outside before. Before! Before, when I was fighting an alien with Torchwood and the Doctor! Before, when I was smashed into the ground by the alien. I must have gotten hurt during that. I kept my eyes closed to fight the pounding in my head.

"She's just a kid," someone whispered.

After all that?! I was offended. "Am not," I croaked. My throat was dry and I tried to swallow.

"Sunny!" Came a relief filled voice. Whoever it was kissed my forehead and smoothed my hair.

The painkillers had spread to my head and the pounding subsided. I slowly opened my eyes and was thankful for four heads blocking the bright, evening sun. Jack and Ianto were on my left side, their eyes narrowed in concentration. I looked to see what they were doing and immediately regretted it. Blood was everywhere it seemed, all over Jack's shirt and coat, and some smeared on Ianto's shirt. Not to mention their hands. Their hands were covered in blood.

"What happened to me?" I asked, beginning to panic.

"You were bitten," the Doctor said. He grabbed my hand again and looked at me as if it were his fault. Of course he'd blame himself.

"I was what?" I tried to exclaim, but my voice cracked.

"You were bitten by the alien," the Doctor repeated.

I tried to see what Jack and Ianto were doing to my side again and saw the bite rather than the blood now. There were teeth marks in my skin from the bottom of my ribcage to the top of my hip bone. The bites didn't seem deep enough to damage any organs, but just enough to make me bleed heavily. I tried to sit up in my panic, but the Doctor pushed me back down with a hand to my stomach. I looked down to the rest of my body to make sure all limbs were attached and discovered a tragic state of undress. My shirt had been ripped open almost to the collar to make easy access to my bite and one side of my jeans had been pushed down to expose my hipbone while I was on my back on the hood of the SUV. There were bite marks in both articles of clothing and blood soaking them, as well. I blushed.

"No one's looking, dear," Gwen said comfortingly, knowing what I'd just noticed.

Well, now there was no hiding the fact that I had the breasts of a fourteen year old boy. I sighed and lied back. "Wait, Jack, Ianto, are you guys wearing gloves or using your bare, dirty hands to stitch me up?"

"Our bare hands. But don't worry, we've got plenty of drugs for you to take when we get back to the Hub," Jack said. "One is a very advanced infection killer from the 22nd century. It kills absolutely every infection and virus known to us now and most in that time."

All I could do was nod my head, and wait. It took them twenty minutes to sew me back up and wrap me with bandages. I was sore getting up and off of the hood of the SUV and then into the back seat. Once we were all seated and Jack had started the engine I asked: "So, who called me a kid?"

"Ianto," everyone but Ianto said.

I hit him in the back of the head with minimal strain on my wound.

"What happened to the alien?" I asked.

"The electricity from all of us shocking it at once made it disintegrate," Gwen replied, her voice and face suggested that it was not a pretty sight.

"Poor thing was probably terrified," I said, leaning my head against the back of the seat.

Back at Torchwood, I was placed on an operating table and looked at again. My head was examined, and medicine was given. I had a concussion and was not allowed to sleep for a few hours until one of the futuristic medicines was able to work. And I was lucky the bite hadn't gone deeper because it was extremely close to puncturing more than one organ. I was sent for rest in the TARDIS with the promise of scolding in the morning.

Gwen had to help me get pajamas on and later the Doctor had to help me into bed. I insisted on sitting up for a while because I wasn't tired yet. The Doctor sat next to me and didn't say a word. The silence was killing me. I knew he was angry with me, but I also knew he was blaming himself for what happened.

"It's not your fault, so you can stop the angsting," I said, folding my arms over my bandages and looking away.

"No, it is. I knew you would go and do something, so I should have gone with my instinct and had you stay at Torchwood," he said solemnly.

"Stop treating me like a little kid!" I exclaimed, stressing every syllable. I was looking at him now, trying to put as much anger in my face as possible.

"Then stop acting like one, Sunny!" he yelled back, his expression mimicking mine with ease.

I attempted to turn to face him, but a sharp pull to my stitches changed the course of the conversation. I stopped moving and my mouth, which was open to yell, slammed shut to keep in a cry of pain, and my eyes watered. I slumped back into the pillows and bit my lip.

"Sunny?" the Doctor asked, his voice and expression now filled with concern.

A throbbing pain in my side took up most of my concentration and I pushed the Doctor's hands away from my side. "No, just give me a second," I groaned.

"You're bleeding through the bandages and onto your pajamas, let me look," he insisted.

I reluctantly obliged and lifted my pajama shirt up just enough to expose the bandage and nothing more. I watched him examine the wound carefully and replace the bandages. I kept my mouth shut and only winced when he poked at one of the stitches.

"You're alright now," he said and sat next to me again after disposing of the bloodied bandages and washing his hands.

"So, you know that line between bravery and stupidity you told me about?" I asked when he sat back down next to me.

"Yeah," he said, looking at me curiously.

"Can we build a fence?" I asked, keeping a straight face.

"You'd climb over it," he laughed.

"A wall, then," I giggled.

"You'd knock it down."

"A wall made of stone, guarded by dragons."

"You'd feed me to the dragons and blow the wall up."

I was at a loss to what could top a stone wall and dragons. I sobered and looked at him seriously. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I'm so stupidly stubborn and all I do is get hurt."

"You know, we thought we lost you," he said quietly, as well.

"That would've killed you," I said and looked down. "To lose another friend would kill you."

He said nothing. He moved closer to me and stroked my hair. I knew I was right. I rested my head on his shoulder and he brought his legs up onto the bed. I don't know how long we sat there in silence before I drifted off to sleep in a temporary darkness.


	6. Urgent DNA

**Chapter 6**

Not more than a few hours after I'd fallen asleep, I woke up with a scream of pain. I threw the Doctor's arm off my stomach and curled up in agony. He woke up immediately after the scream and was trying to calm me. But the pain felt like fire running through my veins, like every bit of me was burning. The pain was centered at the bite of the alien, but my entire body ached. I struggled to breathe and to stay conscious.

"Sunny! What's wrong? Sunny, answer me!" the Doctor was yelling frantically.

"It hurts. It hurts so bad!" I screamed through my tears.

The Doctor immediately ran to get pain killers. He was back in less than thirty seconds and stuck the needle into the flesh near my bite. I gasped for breath until the medication spread through my body and I felt like jell-o. I closed my eyes after the pain subsided and forced myself to relax.

"Sunny," the Doctor said. "Are you asleep?"

I shook my head and opened my eyes some. "I don't know what happened," I whispered.

I let the Doctor examine the bite again. There was no difference, which meant the pain was probably from the previous medication wearing off. Now with the large dose of pain medication in my system I was feeling much better, though exhausted. The Doctor lied down next to me again and held my hand until I fell asleep.

I didn't wake up again until morning when Jack woke me up to give me a different kind of medication that would speed up the healing process. I was a bit skeptical of them pumping my body with medications from the future, but I figured I had nothing to lose.

"How much do you know about the Doctor?" Jack asked after I'd taken the medicine.

"Not much, really. I know he has a big heart- er, two big hearts, he's very protective, and a little bit scatter brained and messy," I replied, realizing I knew nothing about him.

"Okay, but do you know about his people and his past?" Jack asked with a curious look on his face.

"I know he's a Time Lord and I figured they were time travelers based on the TARDIS and the name. And I asked about his family and past once but he doesn't seem to like to talk about it," I said.

"It's not my place to tell you about it, so all I can do is recommend that you ask again. I think it's important for you to know while travelling with him," Jack said, concerned now.

"I will, thanks," I said and smiled. Then I remembered a question I had for Jack about the Doctor: "Do you know his real name?"

"Nobody does besides him," Jack laughed.

"I'm beginning to believe it's something embarrassing, like Louise or something," I giggled with some truth.

"You know, you might just have a point there," Jack agreed with a chuckle.

The Doctor came in at that moment and looked at Jack and I as if we were insane for giggling and laughing when he came in. "Jack, Sunny, may I ask what's so funny?"

"Nothing . . . _Louise_," I said, not laughing until I called the Doctor 'Louise.'

"Who's Louise?" he asked, confused.

"That's what Sunny decided your real name was. She thinks, and I have to agree, that you hide your name because it's embarrassing," Jack explained.

"Well, I can assure you my name is not Louise," he said and sat next to me on the bed.

"Is it . . . Muriel?"

"Nope."

"Horace?"

"Nope. You'll never guess." He smiled. "And if by some strange anti-miracle, I wouldn't tell you if you were right."

"Fine. . . Barbara," I said and got out of bed. I could almost move my arm all the way up and twist my torso so I knew the medicine was working. "I'm going to get dressed."

I dressed in black t-shirt with multicolored dinosaurs printed on it and a pair of jeans. My hair and teeth were brushed, and my make-up was done. When I left the TARDIS I saw that Ianto and Gwen were just arriving to work. I greeted them and went to find the Doctor. He and Jack were in Jack's office discussing something important based off the looks on their faces.

"Should I come back?" I asked when they both looked at me as I walked in the door.

"Nah, Sunny, come on in," the Doctor said, suddenly cheered.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Much, much better, thanks," I said and sat on the arm of the Doctor's chair in front of Jack's desk.

Jack began to talk about something but suddenly my side was hurting again. I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes. Jack's voice faded out and all I was aware of was pain. Something was wrong. I tried to keep my breathing normal but that caused a lack of well needed oxygen and my vision blurred. "Help," I used the last of my energy to mumble before everything went black again.

When I came to I was on the operation table and Jack was saying my name. I opened my eyes slowly and blinked against the light. "Sunny, Sunny, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," I said in the weak voice of a little kid with a tummy ache. I cleared my throat.

"Okay, can you feel this?" he asked. Nothing.

"Feel what? I didn't feel anything," I replied and tried to sit up. I couldn't sit up and I couldn't feel anything below my nonexistent breasts.

"Life signs are thirty percent," Ianto's voice said.

"What?" I gasped.

"The bite from the alien did more damage than we thought," Jack explained vaguely.

"Where's the Doctor?" I asked. He knew about these aliens!

"Right here, Sunny," he said and came to my side.

"Did you know the alien was poisonous?" I demanded.

"I know that only the males are poisonous but I thought the one that bit you was female," he said. He had obviously been torturing himself over this for awhile. His face was hard and self-loathing.

"It's okay, remember, this is my fault," I said.

"Is there anything we can do?" I heard Gwen ask.

"What exactly is happening to me?" I asked before anyone could answer her.

"You're, uh, turning into the alien that bit you," Jack said.

"What?!" I cried. "Oh, my god, answer Gwen's question."

"We could try reversing the process with human DNA," the Doctor suggested.

"Ianto immediately took out needles and syringes and took blood from himself, Gwen, and Jack. He stepped towards the Doctor but the Doctor shook his head. Ianto looked confused but continued to inject Jack's blood into me. No improvements. Gwen's blood. No improvements. Ianto's blood. Small improvement. My life signs went from thirty to thirty five in two minutes after injecting Ianto's blood into my veins. He quickly injected more and we waited.

My whole body began to tingle in the same way my legs do when I sit on them for too long and they fall asleep. It took three hours of that before I was up to one hundred percent alive. When I was able to I stood up and gave Ianto a big hug.

"Thank you, Ianto," I said, my throat thick with tears of relief and happiness.

"You're welcome, Sunny," he said and smiled.

It was weird because we had the same blood now. Jack tested it and for awhile I was going to have Ianto's DNA. He explained that it was only because the alien DNA had mutated my own and it had to regenerate. Ianto's DNA was only saving a place for my own, so we were like the same person. I barely knew this guy and we were sharing blood. Kind of creepy. Very Torchwood.

We all spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening relaxing and joking around. Of course, the normal Torchwood work was done, but it was done quickly with extra time to spare. The joke of the evening was that Ianto and I said the same things at the same time and both had a craving for cheese pizza with pineapple on top. I had such a great time I was still smiling when I went back to the TARDIS to go to sleep.

I had gotten my pajamas on and I went to the kitchen to eat one of the cookies I found in the cupboards when the Doctor came in. He joined me for a cookie and some milk. We relived some of the funnier moments at the kitchen table. I ended up laughing so hard milk came dangerously close to coming out my nose.

We said our goodnights and I went to my room. I tossed and turned for an hour before I gave up on sleeping. I didn't feel right. It wasn't alien-taking-over-my-body not feeling alright, it was restlessness and a funny feeling in my stomach. I got out of bed and went to the Doctor's door. I'd never even seen his room, but I'd always been intrigued. Seriously, what did an alien's bedroom look like? Did he sleep in a tank of weird blue fluid? Upside down? Did he take of his skin and hang it in the wardrobe? A girl needed to know this kind of stuff.

I knocked. He didn't answer. I knocked again. There was a shuffling sound and then the door creaked open. He looked normal in a pair of plain flannel pajamas. His skin was intact and I was able to see an average, human, bed behind him. Part of me was disappointed.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?" he asked, shoving a hand through his unruly hair.

"No, I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep. And I think Ianto's DNA is making me feel weird," I replied.

"Of course it is," he said like it was obvious. "Your body is making its own DNA and it's fighting Ianto's."

"Oh, yeah, of course," I pretended to just remember.

He looked behind him. "Well, I guess you can come in. Mind your step, it's a bit messy."

'A bit' was an understatement. Unidentifiable pieces of technology were scattered everywhere with books, scraps of paper, maps, old food, his suit, shoes, and various other objects. We sat on the side of his bed.

"Your room is insane," I said, just then noticing that the carpet was green.

"Thank you," he said.

"It wasn't exactly a compliment," I said. "I should clean your room."

"No, I'll do it." He shook his head.

"This century?"

"Yes. Well, probably not. Well, no, definitely not," he said.

There was a pause. "I really like Jack, Gwen, and Ianto. I think I'll work for Torchwood," I said simply.

"That ready to leave, are you?" He smiled ruefully.

"No, of course not!" I insisted and turned myself towards him.

"Okay good," he said and smiled giddily.

That's when I felt the urge to kiss him. And I blamed it on Ianto's DNA (because that made sense, naturally). I couldn't be possibly feeling that. It was not allowed. I immediately squashed the urge and the thought of kissing him and started to think up excuses to leave the room. Before I was able to find one, the Doctor climbed back into his side of the bed and held up the blanket next to him for me. I gave a weak smile and settled into the pillows. I took a deep breath and relaxed in the scent that came from his pillows and blankets. It comforted me and subconsciously made me feel protected and sure. I fell asleep quite quickly this way. My last thought of was how I should bottle this scent and sell it. I'd put the sleeping pill companies out of business.


	7. Soulless Hippies

**Chapter 7**

I woke up early the next morning feeling mostly like myself. I slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. A bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee later, the Doctor woke up. "Good morning, Sunny," he greeted me before grabbing a cup of coffee. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling, much better," I said, putting my dishes in the sink.

"That's great. Do you think you're ready to move on and find a new adventure?" he asked.

"Will I get to see them again?" I asked, thinking of my new friends.

"You said you wanted to work for Torchwood, so I'm sure you'll see them at some point," he replied.

"Okay, then we can get moving soon," I permitted.

"How about in a few hours?" he asked, anxiously.

"What, do you not like to stay in one place for more than fifteen minutes or something?" I asked.

"Something like that," he said as he left the kitchen with his coffee.

I washed my dishes and went to take a shower. Jeans and a yellow t-shirt with blue and green plastic beaded necklaces was my outfit for the day. I left the TARDIS and saw the Torchwood team and the Doctor saying their goodbyes.

"I thought you said a few hours not forty five minutes!" I exclaimed.

"We're leaving. Weevil hunting calls us," Jack said.

"Oh," I said, trying not to pout.

"The Doctor tells us you want to work for Torchwood," Gwen said with a smile.

"Well, not right now, but later, yes," I replied.

"Any friend of the Doctor's has a place on the Torchwood team," Jack said and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks. And thanks for saving my life, um, twice, and for putting up with me," I said sheepishly.

"You are a handful, I can't deny it, but it was definitely an exciting few days," Jack chuckled.

"Yeah, call us when you grow up and we'll be happy to have you back," Ianto said.

I turned on him, my eyes narrowed in a glare and my jaw clenched.

"I was kidding, of course." He smiled.

"How old are you, anyways?" Gwen asked.

"I'll be twenty in just a few weeks," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Never would have guessed," Ianto said.

"Enough about my being small and immature looking already!" I exclaimed laughing.

"Alright, alright, we have to get going," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Bye," I said and gave Jack, Gwen, and Ianto hugs. "See you later!"

The Doctor and I went into the TARDIS and he started it up. I leaned against the console, trying my hardest not to sulk about leaving Torchwood. "So, where are we going?" I asked.

"I was thinking about letting the TARDIS decide," he replied.

"Are you going to put it on random and hope something good pops up?" I asked, jokingly.

"Sort of, yeah," he said.

"Oh goodness, the TARDIS is one big iPod," I laughed to myself.

We spent the better part of an hour apart. I was in my room, flipping through a book I'd read a thousand times, waiting to arrive at our next destination. I wasn't sure if I liked this random setting. I was afraid we'd end up in the Jurassic times and as soon as we stepped out of the TARDIS a dinosaur would eat us, or atop the very last ice cap as it falls into the ocean sometime in the future.

I was rereading one of my favorite passages when I was jarred back to reality by the TARDIS landing not so gently. I jumped off of my bed and hurried out to the control room. The Doctor grinned hugely when I rushed into the room.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Not a clue," he replied excitedly.

"Well, let's take a look!" I said and headed towards the door.

I flung it open, the Doctor just behind me. Just outside the door were thousands of people. Thousands of hippies, to be precise. I stepped out and looked around; a piece of paper flew against my legs. I bent and picked it up. I laughed.

"Doctor, we're at Woodstock!" I said, showing him the flyer.

"Interesting," he said and shut the TARDIS door behind us. "Never been here before. Always meant to but never did."

"Doctor, we're in freaking Woodstock!" I couldn't help but exclaim.

"I heard," he said, looking at me strangely.

"This. Is. So. Cool!" I tried to contain my excitement.

"Just don't go running off. If I have to call for a Sunny Thompson over the microphone, I'll get a hundred different girls," he said humorlessly.

I grabbed his hand and wove our way through the crowds of people, taking in the sounds and scenery. We watched a few songs by a band I didn't know, but that didn't matter, I was too excited to care. After we got sick of the amount of people around us, we squeezed our way out of the mass crowd.

"I have no clue who that band was, but I was totally into it," I said, the end of my sentence dying of into a mumble as my eyes seemed to refocus, a high-pitched electric sounding buzz in my ears. The white faded from my eyes and the hum receded. The Doctor was blinking rapidly and was looking at me, thinking he was the only one who experienced the sound and vision problem. It seemed like the sky had darkened suddenly or as if three hours had passed in a second. I looked around to see if anyone else was blinking or rubbing their ears but something odd caught my eye. I pointed and the Doctor turned to look. A small group of people were going around, touching other people lightly and moving on. It wouldn't have looked out of the ordinary if the people who were doing the touching didn't have complete blank, dead stares and the people who were touched changed and adopted the same look.

"Something's taking control of those people," he said.

"What? I don't remember reading or hearing about any evil alien disasters that happened here," I said, searching my brain for any scrap of information.

"Most of the people here are on drugs, do you think it would get noticed? Besides, we're here now," he said turning back to me. "Whatever you do, don't let them touch you."

"Duh," I said. "So what do we do?"

"Look for the source," he said, his eyes now scanning the surrounding area.

"I'm pretty sure evacuating the place is out of the question," I thought out loud.

"Duh," he said, imitating me. "Start looking through tents, and don't leave my sight."

Looking through tents was eventful but scarring. I experienced various shades of things I never wanted to see in my life. Screw that, I saw the whole damn color wheel of unpleasant sights. Nothing I saw could have possibly contributed to the possession of the concert goers. I looked for the ever growing group and saw them not far away from me and the Doctor.

"Doctor!" I called.

He turned and looked at the approaching group before running to me, grabbing my hand, and pulling me along as we ran back to the TARDIS.

Struggling for breath I asked: "What the hell do we do now?" The Doctor shut the door of the TARDIS behind us.

"They stopped everyone's minds. They- they must have, or why would four hours pass in a second?" he asked rhetorically, I knew, and ran his hand through his crazy hair fiercely.

"Did you hear the noise and lose your vision?" I asked, not rhetorically.

"Yeah, how did you know?" He looked at me strangely.

"'Cos it happened to me, too," I replied.

"No it didn't," he said and shook his head.

"Uh, yes it did," I insisted. "Just because you're a Time Lord doesn't make you _that_ much more special than I am."

He smirked. "Sorry." And just like that he was serious again. "What kind of electricity was that sound? I know it but I can't think of it!"

"A camera," I said, the realization hitting me hard. "It was the sound of a shutter on an old fashioned camera!"

"Sunny, you're brilliant, you are!" he exclaimed and kissed my forehead.

I blushed. "I know, I know. But why a camera sound?"

"Maybe it was just a similar sound. Or there really was a flash like a camera, hence the sound and the vision impairment, because something needed the light or- or was capturing something!" he hypothesized, and threw his brown coat onto the railing.

"People's souls!" I exclaimed as I picked up his coat to hang it up.

He looked confused.

"There used to be this superstition amongst some Native Americans, I believe, that the camera captures people's souls on the film," I said thoughtfully.

"You might be onto something here. Continue," he insisted, taking out his glasses and looking me up and down.

"I don't know what else. Uhm, let's see, maybe- er, well obviously it's alien, but maybe the aliens have come before and- and that's where the Native Americans got their superstition. And . . . why in the world are you looking at me like that?" I asked irritably when his staring up and down my body got unnerving.

"Sorry, I was looking for any remnants of anything alien on you. Like any energy that has clung to your clothes or if they touched you at all," he said looking at my face now.

"Okay, because I was beginning to think that those were X-ray glasses and you were totally perving on me," I said truthfully.

"Nah, X-ray glasses are much more obvious," he said and took of his glasses to clean them.

"So you can see alien remnants?" I asked and leaned against the railing in front of him.

"Sometimes. I can taste it on occasion as well," he said casually.

I was scandalized. "You are not tasting me, mister!"

"What? Oh, Sunny, no, that's just . . . weird," he said, putting his glasses back on. "Okay, no remnants, a flash of light, the sound of a camera shutter, a Native American legend, aliens, and lots and lots of hippies . . . ."

"This is weird," I said under my breath.

"Of course, it is," he said enthusiastically. "You might be right about the capturing of the souls; you saw their blank faces and the passing of whatever it is."

"But why the freezing of time?" I asked.

"They didn't freeze time, they froze us so we didn't see them," he explained.

"Alright, who are 'they?'" I asked.

"I'm thinking Lititians," he said hesitantly.

"The what-ians?"

"The Lititians," he repeated. "They live in a galaxy that is as bright as our sun. There was a war not long ago from this time on Earth and the source of their light was distinguished. I think they might be trying to take over the Earth to use the light of the sun."

"But if their planet was as bright as the sun, why not take the sun?" I asked, confused.

"It wasn't as hot as the sun. This galaxy is the only one with a sun, so Earth is as much light as they're going to get," he explained. "They will die without it."

"Can we help them?"

"I believe so. I think they can live here as long as they don't try to take over. If they know that they can live here peacefully, they won't put up a fight," he said and put his glasses back in his pocket.

"Uh, wont people notice aliens walking around?" I asked like it was obvious.

"Lititians look like small moths," he said. "You've surely seen them."

"I have! So how do we fix this?"

"The first step is to find them without being touched and converted," he said, heading towards the door.

"Good plan," I mumbled and followed him.

He cracked open the door and peeked out. "They're not near here anymore, they've moved further towards the crowd near the stage. We need to make a run for it in the direction they were coming from when we came to."

He didn't wait for my response before he opened the door the rest of the way and stepped out. I looked to the growing crowd of soulless people and saw that the stage was empty. I hoped it was between sets and the musicians were safe. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I was responsible for a rock star's death because I couldn't figure out the solution. I saw the Doctor move and turn towards me from the corner of my eye. I looked to him in just enough time to see his hand reaching out to touch me and three other people beside him. The soulless hippies were straying from the pack and going out on their own. And since they made no noise, the Doctor was clueless to their arrival and was changed. My heart fell into my stomach as I realized that I was alone in this- it was all up to me.

"No!" I screamed and dodged his hand. Three others came at me and I stumbled back to escape, my hands catching on twigs in the grass. I scrambled to my feet and sprinted towards a patch of woods. I wasn't followed so I bent over to catch my breath and to calm my panic when I noticed something behind a rock. The evening sun was beating down on one side of it and the sunny side was covered with tiny, white, moths. My eyes widened and I squatted near the side of the rock, careful not to block their sunlight.

"Hello," I said quietly, feeling stupid for talking to moths.

"Hello," a whispery voice responded. I fell backwards in my shock and landed on my butt. I had forgotten that the TARDIS translated all languages.

"Are you the Lititians?" I asked.

"We are. You are human," the voice said.

"I am, but I'm a friend. I'm here to help you," I insisted quietly, hoping my voice wasn't too loud.

"We are helping ourselves survive," the voice said sternly.

"I know, and I want you to know that you may live here on Earth and use our sun as long as you let these people go and promise not to take control over them again," I said, trying to sound authoritative.

"Humans will fear us," it said sadly.

"No we won't. We have a living species on this planet that resembles you, only larger," I tried to comfort the moth-like aliens.

"Larger?"

"But much less intelligent. There is no need for you to worry." I smiled.

"The light is fading," the voice said and many others echoed it. The sun was drooping behind the trees and the rock was slowly darkening.

"I can help you, just let those humans go. I can't help you if you don't let them go," I said urgently as I looked over my shoulder and saw the crowd approaching me.

"They steal our light," the voices whispered.

"No, they need it just as much as you do! Now let them go, please!" I begged.

"You fear them," the first whispery voice stated.

"Right now, yes, because I don't want to end up like them!" I said looking back again. I didn't see the Doctor in the advancing crowd.

"You must promise to help us!" the voices whispered over and over again.

"I promise! I promise!" I cried as a hand of a man with dirty, long hair and beard, and dirt-caked fingernails reached out to touch me. I squeezed my eyes closed and then heard the shutter sound again. I opened my eyes and saw that it was darker and only a small portion of the rock was lit by the sun and all the people were back in front of the stage. The Lititians were crammed into the small space.

"How long can you survive in the dark?" I asked quickly.

"Two human days," they replied.

"Okay, you need to fly South. The further South you get on this piece of land, the sunnier it will get. When it gets dark, find a light. Many people will leave a light on in their house or outside; stay near them but be careful because they can get hot. Street lights will be on all night until it is light out. Use those if you can't find anything else. I wish you the best of luck, Lititians. Now go, find some light!"

"Thank you, human. You are the light of love and healing," they said before taking off in a swirl of wings and whispers.

I thought nothing of their words. I figured they had picked up the mantra of "peace and love" that was so commonly uttered on this field these few days. Once I couldn't see them any more, I stood up. No one was near me; I was alone by the woods. The crowd was so huge I wasn't sure I could find the Doctor so I headed back towards the TARDIS.

"Sunny? Sunny where are you?" I heard the Doctor calling. But I couldn't see him because I was surrounded by a group of people who were much taller than me. "Sunny?!"

I followed his voice to the left. I was tempted to call out "Marco!" and hope for his reply of "Polo!" but I was unsure whether he or a hundred other people would reply. "Doctor!" I yelled. A few people looked at me weird or asked if I was alright but I ignored them.

"Sunny!" his yell was louder this time, meaning I was closer. "No, not you. Not you, either. I'm looking for a Sunny Thompson. Sunny!"

I smiled and pushed my way through the last wall of people before I found him, ten feet in front of the TARDIS. A few girls were walking away from him and he was faced away from me. When I saw him panicking and frantically looking through the crowds, I was suddenly very proud of helping the Lititians all on my own and got excited over it so I ran and pounced onto his back.

"Get off!" he yelled and chucked me off. I landed hard and laughed. He turned around with a furious expression until he saw it was me and relief washed over his face. "Sorry, Sunny, didn't realize it was you."

"Who else would run and jump on your back?" I was still laughing as he helped me up.

"Well," he said and smiled, not answering my question. He couldn't have anyways because the music started again and people were screaming. It was exhausting and I covered my ears against the impaling sound. The Doctor nodded towards the TARDIS and I followed him in. When he shut the door the loud music immediately stopped and left a ringing in my ears.

"How did you do it? What did you do?" he asked excitedly.

"I talked to them, really. They didn't want to hurt everyone on Earth; they just figured that everyone would fear them. And since we're much larger than they are, they naturally were afraid of being hurt. But when I told them about the moths and promised to help them, they let everyone go," I explained.

"How did you help them?" he asked.

"I told them to fly as south as they could on this piece of land to get more sun and to stay near house lights and streetlights at night," I said. "It was really easy!"

"Was it now?" he said rather than asked.

"Yup. But you helped, of course. You told me all you knew about the Lititians and I went based on that," I assured him.

"Well, now I know why Woodstock lasted a day longer than planned," I laughed. "Most of the day was wasted while everyone was soul sucking zombies."

The Doctor started up the TARDIS and I thought of something. "So, you can see alien remnants while wearing your glasses, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"May I borrow them for a minute?"

"Sure," he said and handed them to me.

I put on the glasses and circled him as he did whatever he was doing to the controls of the TARDIS. I didn't see anything but I pretended. "Oh my," I said staring at the middle of his back.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just some alien energy," I lied and poked at his back.

"There isn't anything there," he insisted, but uncertainty was in his voice.

"Well, I see it. It's green and looks slimy," I said, trying not to laugh.

"What?" he said and tried to look over his should at his back.

"It's turning colors! Oh my gosh, it's purple!" I exclaimed and poked at him some more.

"Sunny, don't kid around with me. Is there something there?" he asked seriously now.

"No, I was just playing," I giggled as he turned to face me.

He looked at me with a blank face for a moment, then tucked his lips into his mouth and scrunched his eyebrows together and held his breath. I thought he might be sick or something so I stopped giggling and looked at him concernedly. That did it for him and he burst out laughing hysterically.

"What?" I asked. "What?!"

"You. In those glasses!" he gasped.

I frowned and stomped to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I did look ridiculous. Absolutely nerdy. More nerdy than he looked in them and I didn't think that was possible. I returned to the control room where the Doctor had controlled his mirth and handed him his glasses back with my frown/ pout still in place.

"Oh, Sunny," he sighed. "Don't pout; I wasn't laughing at you in a mean way. If it helps at all, you looked very . . . cute," he said, hesitating before using that particular adjective.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to wear them the next time I go boy shopping," I mumbled grumpily, to hide the unexpected happiness at being called my least favorite adjective.

He almost questioned what 'boy shopping' was but decided against it, I could tell. So I changed the subject. "What was it like being a soulless zombie?"

"It was a vacation," he said with a dark expression.

"From what, may I ask?"

"Pain," he said emptily.

That statement broke my heart. I had no fathomable idea of the pain he felt everyday, the guilt, and the disappointment. My eyes welled up with tears. I wondered if he wished he was a soulless monster sometimes, but didn't dare to ask. But since he had two hearts, did he feel twice the pain? I covered his hand with mine. Or rather I rested my hand on his and covered about half of it. I looked up at him and waited for him to look at me. When he did my heart broke even more. It seemed as if the 'vacation' from his soul made it come back harder and more painful than ever. Words could not describe the pain I saw in his eyes. The tears spilled down my cheeks and blurred my vision. I rested my head against his arm and gripped his hand between both of mine. He placed his other hand on the back of my neck and stoked my hair. It was absurd to think that he was comforting me when I was crying over _his_ pain.

I broke contact with him and turned him around so that I could hug him properly. I stood on tip toes to wrap my arms around his neck and he rested his arms around my waist. "Doctor," I said softly. "You can stop hurting now. What's in your past has nothing to do with right here right now. You can do nothing about any of it. You would know out of anyone. What's done is done and what's gone is gone. There is a time to mourn, but if you do it constantly, the pain will never go away. I don't mean to forget about who and what you lost, what I mean is to accept it and move forward. Look at me, I've moved forward after leaving my family and my home. Of course I miss them and feel bad for leaving, but I know that they're okay now and I did all I could, and the guilt is lifted."

He was silent but his eyes lightened some. The pain was lessened. He rested his forehead against mine and I closed my eyes, relaxing. I was comfortable staying right there and not moving. Then he moved and I felt his lips against mine. I gasped, shocked at his gesture but also kind of afraid of the joy I felt.

"I- I'm sorry," he said letting go of me and stepping away. "I don't know- I don't know why or, or how- I'm sorry." Then he was gone. He had made a quick exit to his room and I was left standing in the control room with the shocked expression still plastered to my face.


	8. Ood Songs

**AN:** This chapter literally came to me in a dream . . . after drinking practically half a bottle of cough syrup, mind you. So, embrace the cracktasticness and laugh with me. Seriously, I couldn't pass this up. I laughed so hard writing the climax of the chapter I cried. This chapter probably won't be any sort of theme for the story- it's not like Bad Wolf or anything. It's just for fun. So take off your literature hat and enjoy. 

**Ood Songs**

"I'm a little disappointed, actually," I was saying to the Doctor after he asked if I liked traveling with him.

"Really?" he asked, looking crestfallen.

I smiled to show that I wasn't. "Yeah, all the aliens I've met haven't been obviously alien. The Daleks looked like squids, one was a giant earth worm, the Lititians looked like moths, the Vertorins looked like something I could win at a carnival, and you look human."

"You've only met a few so far, I'm sure you'll meet more," he said with a shrug.

"That's true. But the ones that look cool will probably be the ones that kill me," I said sitting on the railing in the control room.

"Don't talk like that," he scolded and pressed a few buttons on the TARDIS console. "I could take you to see some weird looking peaceful aliens."

"Oh, yes, please!" I said excitedly. "Are they in another galaxy?"

"Yes, they are," he replied and pressed more buttons on the TARDIS console, causing the familiar grinding sound to ring through the room. We landed with the usual knee jamming crash and the Doctor glanced back at me: "You'll need a coat, its cold."

I ran to my room and found my pink down coat and put it on quickly before returning to him. He had already stepped just outside the door and I could see his coat flapping in the wind and his hair collecting snow. I dug the gloves out of my pocket and put them on as I hopped out of the door.

"So, what kind of aliens live here?" I asked looking around at what looked like continuous snowy hills and mountains.

"The Ood," he replied.

"Oods?"

"Ood."

"That's what I said," I insisted.

"No, you said 'oods,' but there is no 's' even when it's plural. Like . . . fish," he explained.

"Fishes."

"But you can say 'I have many fish' and still make sense."

"And then there's still the word 'fishes.'"

"Fine. Oods," he said in an annoyed tone as he started to walk forwards. I grinned and followed after him. He stopped suddenly in his steps and held out a hand to stop me. "Shh! Listen! Do you hear that?"

I listened and heard a beautiful sound. "It's amazing, what is it?"

"The Ood song," he said with a slight smile. "Listen to how happy they sound."

"Let's go find them," I said and started walking again.

We were walking for about fifteen minutes before we came to the top of a large hill and saw a circle of Ood. I gasped when I saw their faces. "Real aliens!"

"Oi," the Doctor said, offended.

"No offense, darling, but you look too normal," I said, not taking my eyes off the strange creatures before me.

As we approached the circle they turned to face us, their arms held up in what seemed like greeting. I noticed they were holding something. I asked the Doctor what it was. "Their brains," he replied. I wasn't sure if I was grossed out or fascinated. Maybe a little of both.

Their song changed and a voice was heard above it. "Welcome back, Doctor. Where is Donna?"

"She's gone home," the Doctor replied solemnly.

"Her song has not ended," the Ood said in a confused tone.

"No, she's alive. Just not with me anymore," he explained. "This is Sunny."

"Hello," I said with a wave.

"Welcome, Sunny," the Ood chorused.

"Come Doctor, we have something to show you," an Ood said.

"Alright. Sunny are you coming?" he asked me.

"Nah, I'll stay here," I said, something was keeping me here. I felt the urge to stay here and talk to these Ood. He shrugged and followed an Ood off in another direction.

Once he was out of sight the Ood spoke again. "The Doctor saved our kind, he is our hero."

"Yeah, he is pretty cool, isn't he?" I agreed. I got closer to the Ood that was speaking only to realize that he wasn't speaking out loud at all. "How are you talking to me?"

"We communicate on a telepathic level," the Ood replied simply.

"So, what did the Doctor save you from?" I asked.

"Eternal slavery across three galaxies," they replied.

"That's great of him," I said, then realizing that this was what the Doctor lived for; the rescuing of galaxies and species. "You have a beautiful song, by the way."

"Thank you. You also have a beautiful song. Very interesting," the Ood said.

"I'm not singing," I said, confused.

"But we can hear your life song," they replied.

"What's it sound like?" I asked, intrigued by my own unknown song.

"Your song flows continuously on. It is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, but always lovingly and with the ability to heal. It is like a river," the Ood said.

"A river," I repeated. "That's pretty!"

"It is, Sunny. Now, let us rejoin with the Doctor," the Ood said and led the way.

The Doctor was coming back when we met just over a hill. He was beaming and looked happier than I'd seen him. "Sunny! Are these alien enough for you?" he laughed.

"Yes," I said with a smile. "It's so amazing! They communicate telepathically and can hear my song!"

"You have a song?" he asked.

"Yes, everyone has a song, Doctor," an Ood said.

"What's my song like then?" the Doctor asked the Ood.

"It is dark, heroic, passionate, and wise," the Ood replied.

"Hm," the Doctor said with a nod, accepting their description. "I guess that's about right."

Two hours later we were back in the TARDIS kitchen. I was having a snack while the Doctor was having a drink. We discussed the Ood and their planet for awhile before I mentioned my song. "You know, the weirdest thing is happening. When I was talking to the Lititians they said I had the light of love and healing, but I didn't think anything of it. I figured they had just picked it up from the hippies and thought to say it to me. But when the Ood were telling me about my song they said it was a river song with the ability to heal and love. Isn't that strange? Maybe they can see something that I can't." I paused, thinking. "Oh, I wish I could hear my river song."

The Doctor dropped his glass and it shattered on the ground. My head snapped up to look at him. He was pale, his eyes wide, and his mouth open. "Doctor, are you okay? What happened?" I said, standing up from the table.

"What did they say your song sounded like?" he asked, his voice hoarse. He wouldn't look at me.

"A river of-" I started.

"Sunny, what is your natural hair color?" he interrupted.

"How is that relevant?"

"Please, just answer me," he snapped, still not looking at me.

"It's a light red. Somewhere between blonde and red," I said slowly, not understanding what he was getting at.

"Do you keep a journal?" he asked; his face paler.

"No," I replied. "But it would be a cool way to keep track of all the places I've been."

"Oh," he whispered. "What do you think of archeology?"

"It's pretty cool. You know, digging up dinosaurs and all," I said with a shrug, just going along with his random questions now.

"I need to sit down," he said and flopped down into the chair I had been sitting in. I sat across from him and looked at him concernedly.

"Are you alright? Do I need to call a . . . never mind that was dumb," I said after I rethought my words.

He gave a half hearted smile and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just realized something, but it's not important," he said.

"Uh, I think it was important. You looked like you were having a heart attack," I pushed.

"Good thing I have a spare," he said, thumping his chest. There was color back in his face, but he still looked at me strangely, like he was seeing me differently. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Yeah, good thing," I said. "Well, I guess I'll be off to bed." I stood up, feeling kind of inadequate and unneeded since he wouldn't talk to me.

"Good night, river song," he said super quietly.

I showered and got into bed but didn't fall asleep for hours. Why did he freak out when I told him about my song? Why did he ask those weird questions? And why did he look at me weird when he finally looked at me? Did he know something about my future that he hadn't pieced together until then? He did travel in time, so maybe he knew something about me in the future. I just wanted to go home; this wasn't fun anymore.


	9. Mr I'maSuperDuper Tine Lord

**Mr. I'm-a-Super-Duper Time Lord**

I had been traveling with the Doctor for three weeks and I was having a great time. But I was worried about my family. I would see something that would remind me of better times with them everywhere we went. The Doctor and I had watched a game of what resembled basketball on another planet and I was reminded of my brother, Chad's, passion for the sport before he got addicted to drugs. On a strange, futuristic, market ship I bought a handcrafted blanket made of the softest material I had ever felt and it reminded me of when my mom used to knit me and Chad sweaters and mittens. I couldn't help wonder if they were safe in rehab. Were they improving? Did they hate me? Would they thank me? Are they with each other? Are they alone? Questions ran through my head endlessly one night and I spent the entire night crying into my pillows. I felt guilty for leaving them. I had thought I was over it, and I had moved on, but deep down I couldn't let it go. They were all I had for a long time and they depended on me for everything so I felt a huge responsibility for them.

The next morning after the sleepless night, the Doctor approached me in the kitchen. I was fixing up a cool compress for my red eyes and an especially espressoed espresso to take back to my room. "Good morning, Sunny," he said. The tone of his voice implied that he knew something was wrong. I kept my head tilted so he couldn't see my tear stained, red, and puffy face.

"Good morning, Doctor," I replied as happily as I could.

"I heard you crying last night," he said quietly.

"Oh?" I replied, knowing that I had not been crying loud, therefore not believing him.

"Yes, I hear better than you think," he informed, stepping closer to me.

"Now I know not to sing in the shower," I said blandly.

I grabbed my compress and mug and tried to escape the kitchen all the while keeping my head down and my face turned away from him. This, of course, was not easy and I bumped into the doorframe and the Doctor. I spilled some espresso on is suit and my pajamas, apologized, and attempted to run for it.

"Sunny, what's wrong?" he asked following me.

Apparently I forgot he had legs and could follow me.

"Nothing!" I insisted slipping into my room and trying to shut the door behind me with my foot.

The Doctor pushed the door open which pushed my leg and threw me off balance. I fell to the ground, espresso, compress, and all. A deep brown stain spread across the pristine white carpet. I frowned.

"Sorry," he said when he saw me on the floor and the stain. He knelt beside me. "Something is wrong and I would like you to tell me."

I sighed. "I feel guilty about leaving my family and I want to know if they're okay," I admitted, averting my eyes.

"We can go to Boston and see them, if you'd like," he said quietly. I waited for him to make a remark about me being a hypocrite when I told him to forget what his past but he didn't.

I nodded.

"Why were you afraid to tell me?" he asked.

"It's not important," I said and waved it off as nothing.

The Doctor stood up and offered a hand to help me up. "Well, get dressed and we'll be there soon."

I used the cold compress and got dressed and was in the console room in fifteen minutes. The Doctor was standing at the door, looking very serious. He was wearing his brown coat and was holding my jacket. He handed it to me wordlessly and opened the door. I stepped out. It was late autumn and the wind was harsh. We were just outside my apartment building and it looked exactly the same as when I left.

My heart sank when I realized the Doctor took me home and not a rehab. My mom or Chad must have left rehab and was at home. Disappointment flooded me and I closed my eyes. The Doctor took my hand and we went into the building and up the stairs. I hesitated before I opened the door.

"You don't have to do it," the Doctor said, studying my face.

My lower lip trembled and my eyebrows scrunched, fighting tears. "No," I whispered. "I have to know."

I opened the door and the smell hit me. I gagged and covered my mouth and nose with my arm. The Doctor did the same and followed me in. The putrid smell was a mixture of dirt, body odor, alcohol, vomit, rotten food, and cigarette smoke. I immediately opened the widow above the kitchen sink and turned off the unwatched TV. Empty bottles of alcohol were everywhere, telling me that it was my mom who had left rehab and came home.

"Mom?" I called. There was no answer so I went to the room we once shared. The door was opened and I peered around the corner. "Mom?"

She was lying on the beds that the Doctor and I had pushed together for her when I left. I quickly went to wake her up. "Mom?" I said louder as I shook her.

Her eyes opened slowly. "Sunny? Is that you?"

"Yes, Mom, it's me," I said, fighting back tears and gags.

"Why did you leave me?" she asked, pain and sadness covered her voice.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I really am, but I had to get out of here. This isn't a place I want to be and I- and I couldn't stand taking care of my own mother any more."

"Just like your father. Just like your father," she mumbled, sitting up.

"Maybe I am, but I am happy now. I have a new life. A better life, Mom. Can't you be happy for me?" I asked loudly.

"No, because you're not here with me like you should be," she replied her voice cracking as she tried to yell.

"Speaking of 'should be,' you should be sober. You should be in rehab. Why did you leave rehab?" I asked.

"They were mean to me. They didn't let me have a little bit to drink," she groaned.

"Of course they didn't! They're supposed to help you stop drinking!" I exclaimed.

"I don't want to stop," she said stubbornly.

"Which is exactly why I left," I said quietly. "Where's Chad?"

"Not in rehab," she scoffed.

"Where is he?" I repeated.

"Maybe dead. I don't care," Mom shook her head and looked for her half empty bottle on the night stand. She took a long drink from the bottle.

Tears spilled down my cheeks. This wasn't right. This had to be some alternate universe, another planet, an alien in my mother's body. Something other than reality!

"When did you last see him?" I choked out.

"I don't know. Um, last Thursday because that cooking show we liked was on when he came home. I missed the end because I had to kick him out. He was stealing money from my purse," she said, trying to blink away the fog in her eyes.

"Did he say where he was going?" I forced myself to ask.

"No, but he's probably on the streets somewhere," she sighed and lied back down.

We were silent for a few minutes. The Doctor was still standing just outside the bedroom door watching and listening. I didn't look at him, I was ashamed.

"Mom, I love you," I said hoarsely.

"No you don't!" she screamed, sitting up again, clutching her drink. "No you don't love me! You left me! No you don't! NO YOU DON'T!"

As she screamed I backed away from her to the door. I wanted to leave but I didn't want to leave her. Her screaming ended up making her sick and she vomited over the side of the bed. I turned away from her finally and left the room. As I exited the room, the Doctor put a hand on my back to guide me to the door. Tears blinded my path and I stumbled to the door. Outside I collapsed on the front steps and sobbed into my knees. My world had fallen apart and ripped at the seams. There was nothing I could do to fix it. My only option was to leave; I had made the right choice to go with the Doctor. He sat next to me and whispered soothing things to me and stroked my back until I stopped sobbing.

"Let's go," I said and stood up suddenly.

"Okay," he said and we went back to the TARDIS.

He took off his coat and flung in on the railing and went to the controls. I hung up his coat and mine and joined him. "Are you alright?" he asked me.

"As alright as I could be," I replied.

The Doctor set the TARDIS to orbit in the time vortex and turned to me. I finally looked at him. His expression was one of concern, empathy, and care. "I know you're embarrassed, but you shouldn't be. I've seen worse," he said with a small smirk.

"She wasn't always like that," I said, still feeling the need to defend my mom.

"I know," he said and rested a hand on my shoulder.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his middle in a hug. He returned the hug and kissed the top of my head. That little gesture said it all for me. This man (alien, whatever), was the only person in the universe who cared about me. I felt that he needed to know that and what it meant to me but I didn't know the words to say. Seriously, are there words to express that without sounding insane? At the risk of sounding like a lunatic, I stepped back from him and said: "Doctor, in this entire universe there is only one person who truly cares about me."

"And who's that?" he asked, looking positively confused. Idiot.

"You," I said with a half hearted smile.

"I'm sure there's more than just me, Sunny," he said, looking at me like I was stupid.

"No. I'm serious," I said with a frown.

"The Ood liked you." He grinned.

"Their brains fit in the palm of their hands. What does that tell you of their intelligence?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"And the fact that you just called the Ood, one of the most intelligent species I have ever met, unintelligent based on the size of their brains tells me what about your judgment and your open mindedness?" he countered.

"Sorry, I'm a little ethnocentric when it comes to other species, mister 'I'm a super-duper Time Lord and you're a measly human,'" I taunted.

"Oi, I don't sound like that," he pretended to be offended.

I repeated my taunt while mimicking his accent and lowering my voice. He laughed and took a quick step towards me with his arms out but I dodged him and ran around the console with a shriek. He chased me around the console twice before I swung myself over the railing and ran towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom. But in the excitement my shoe had come untied and I managed to trip on it. The Doctor was just behind me yelling something about how he was going to catch me "'cos nobody escapes a Time Lord" when I tripped. He tried to catch me around the waist but only managed to turn me around. We both then stumbled in our remaining momentum into a wall. The back of my head cracked against the wall and my eyes closed instinctively just before impact. Then there was a crushing pain to my stomach and a "woah!" accompanied by hot air on my face.

I let out a groan at the pain in my head and stomach and opened my eyes. I was face to face with the Doctor and his knee was against my stomach. "Knee. Stomach. Ow!" I grunted.

"Oh, sorry," he said and brought his leg down. "I guess it didn't help in stopping my fall."

"No but it helped me remember what I had for breakfast," I said.

We were still face to face, the Doctor's hands were still bracing himself against the wall on either side of my shoulders, and my heart was beating erratically. I closed my eyes to try to steady myself and to will the pain in the back of my head to go away. I swallowed hard in my nervousness and took an uneven breath. I heard his hands move against the wall and I assumed he was moving away from me but then he brushed some of my hair away from my face. I opened my eyes and saw that he was still close to me. My heart picked up its pace and I remembered that he could probably hear it with his superior ears. He smiled kindly and placed the hand that had stroked my hair above my heart, feeling its marathon race. I took his hand in one of mine and moved it from my heart to around my waist and used my other hand to pull his head closer to mine so that I could kiss him. The kiss was slow and honest to gosh, was the only kiss I had ever had that "made my knees weak." But then again it could have been from the head injury. He pulled away first and I was afraid to open my eyes. I leaned my head back against the wall, bit my lip, and let out a sigh of contentment.

"Sunny," the Doctor said in a quiet voice.

I opened my eyes and looked at him through my eyelashes. "Hm?"

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked, with a strange look in his eyes.

"Because I wanted to," I replied.

"Did you want to because you have feelings for me or because you wanted affection?" he asked.

"I don't know why I initially did it, really, but now that we kissed I'm pretty sure I have feelings for you. Is that a problem? If it is we can forget it even happened. But if it isn't then the next move is up to you," I said quickly. He grinned. I took that as a good sign. "You're grinning. I think that's good."

"Fantastic," he said and kissed me again.


End file.
